An aged cheddar, made especially for Woolworths, was announced as the Dairy Product of the Year at the South African Dairy Awards held outside Stellenbosch in the Western Cape yesterday.
Following a tough competition with 60 judges, Lactalis South Africa’s 18-month Mature Cheddar walked away with the golden crown. It competed against 920 dairy products from 68 producers. Judges described it as a full-rounded cheese with a nutty and slightly piquant flavour.
From the high number of entries, a total of 26 were also honoured with the Qualité mark of excellence and 105 – the winners in each championships class – were named SA Champion.
“For a product to be chosen as Product of the Year in a competition of this nature is the dream of every dairy producer,” says dairy expert and chief judge Alan Fourie. “The Woolworths 18-month Mature Cheddar truly is an exceptional product worthy of this accolade.”
Alban Damour, general manager of Lactalis Southern Africa, says the company is delighted at having the quality of their products recognised for the third year running.
“Our cheese team is once again credited for their expertise and passion and for their products that are on par with the best across the world and loved by South African consumers.
“We are proud of our long-standing business partnership with Woolworths, a business that values quality as much as we do. Lactalis SA also appreciates the work Agri-Expo does to recognise and celebrate the local dairy industry.”
A celebration of innovation
The SA Dairy Championships has been presented by Agri-Expo with great success since 1834. According to Johan Ehlers, its chief executive, it is an exceptional privilege to present the championships for the 189th year. This, as Agri-Expo, the oldest agricultural society in South Africa, also celebrates 190 years of heritage and 25 years of innovation.
“Innovation indeed characterises this prestigious flagship project over many years,” says Ehlers.
“In 2001, we created the Qualité logo as the only mark of excellence for South African dairy products. We hosted the very first virtual awards event in the South African agricultural sector in 2020.
“Moreover, we are the only organisation in the world that could present a major dairy championships continuously over the past three years, paving the way for the successful new concept of a hybrid SA Dairy Awards, hosted for the second year at Cavalli Estate as well as on our website.”
According to Ehlers, the high number of entries and the extraordinary products entered this year are reasons to be optimistic about the future of the dairy industry.
“This year’s results testify to an innovative industry and healthy competition between larger manufacturers and smaller entrepreneurs, with a total of five Qualités awarded to Lactalis South Africa, three to Fairview, two each to Clover SA, De Pekelaar Boerenkaas, Belnori Boutique Cheesery, Klein River Cheese and Rhodes Food Group, and a good distribution among the other winners.”
- The SA Dairy Awards can still be viewed at www.cheesesa.co.za/sa-dairy-awards.
