Gold for Te Mata Cheese at International Cheese Awards
7 November 2006

Hawke’s Bay’s Te Mata Cheese Company has achieved international success at the world’s largest cheese awards.

Te Mata Cheese Company has won gold for its Summerlee goat curd cheese at the prestigious Fromage du Monde awards in Sydney.

The company, which entered the awards for the first time this year, also received outstanding results in the Brie and Blue mould categories, with the Pakipaki goat milk brie taking out bronze, and the Bayview and Port Ahuriri blues both impressing the judges.

The awards, held in Sydney’s luxurious Porsche Centre, are the largest of their kind in the world and are unique because judging is carried out by the public who get to taste the cheeses blindfolded.

Te Mata Cheese Company founder, Karryn Bish, says she is delighted with the results, especially for the new Summerlee cheese.

“Summerlee is now available at the cheese café on site at the Te Mata Cheese Factory, and also sells well through restaurants and caterers.

The success of the Bay View Blue and Port Ahuriri Blue in the blue mould class was very pleasing, however Te Mata Cheese Company was disappointed its Pacifica Blue was not ready in time to enter this year’s awards.

“Pacifica Blue is our unique ewe milk blue which received a trophy at the New Zealand Cheese Awards in April,” says Karryn.

“It’s still maturing and will be available very soon, but if it was ready it would have given those French cheeses a run for their money,”

Fromage du Monde Awards organiser and Australian cheese judge, Kelvin Bartholomeusz says he was hoping to arrange a similar event in New Zealand in 2008 as New Zealanders had the same appetite for premium cheese as Australians.

For further information please contact:

Karryn Bish

Founder

Te Mata Cheese Company

Phone: (06) 8758282

Mobile: (021) 828 567

www.tematacheese.co.nz

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