On July 28th, Lively Run Dairy’s Cayuga Blue, a blue cheese made from pasteurized goat’s milk, was awarded First Place in its class at the 2017 American Cheese Society Cheese Contest.
The annual American Cheese Society Cheese Contest is one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in the US. Held in a different city every year, this year ACS took place in Denver. 2017 was another record-breaking year for ACS, with over 281companies from all over the US and Canada entering more than 2,020 different products across a broad spectrum of categories. The contest entries were evaluated by a team of 44 judges from all over the world. ACS judges are chosen every year for their deep knowledge of high quality cheese.
Founded in 1982 and located in Interlaken, in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, Lively Run Dairy is owned and operated by the Messmer family. 2017 is the first year that Cayuga Blue was entered into competition at ACS.
“It’s rewarding to take first place in a major national competition the very first year we’ve ever entered. I’m really looking forward to where we go from here,” Pete stated. “I think it speaks to the dedication and hard work of everybody at Lively Run - always striving to improve and make the best cheese we can make.”
Head Cheese Maker Pete Messmer, co-owner of Lively Run along with his brother, Dave, and parents, Steve and Susanne Messmer, developed the recipe for Cayuga Blue. Cayuga Blue is an original creation renowned for its beautiful marbling of blue mold (penicillium roqueforti) and mellow, earthy flavor. It has been featured in several national food publications such as Saveur, Forbes, and Culture Magazine.
