The 15th ALL JAPAN Natural Cheese Contest, one of the competitions cheese lovers watch most closely, was held on October 17 at Tokyo Prince Hotel.
Held once every two years, the contest aims to:
・Encourage cheeses suited to Japanese tastes and create an original natural-cheese culture adapted to Japan’s climate and environment, helping expand future demand for raw milk
・Improve Japanese natural-cheese production techniques by creating opportunities for expert advice and user feedback
・Expand sales channels by providing a venue to introduce Japanese natural cheeses to consumers
That makes the event a meaningful opportunity in which producers, industry professionals and consumers all become participants.
Here is our report, from the awards ceremony through the large-scale tasting.
Contest Overview and Awards Ceremony
This year, 269 cheeses were entered by 123 producers, up from 248 entries from 109 producers at the previous competition.
Judging was divided into 12 detailed categories: fresh, chèvre, pasta filata, soft, bloomy rind, washed rind, blue, hard aged under three months, hard aged under six months, hard aged six months or longer, whey, and trial.
The competition proceeded through preliminary, second-round and final judging, with the final round open to the public.
Final judging was led by committee chair Hiroki Yamamoto, Director and Head of Production at Hokkaido Dairy Products Co., Ltd., together with an impressive panel including Tadashi Nakamura of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine; Takayuki Miura of Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University; Emiko Yamamoto of Megmilk Snow Brand; Yasunori Kishi of Aeon Retail; chef Yahei Suzuki of Piatto Suzuki; model AYUMI; Patrick Passion, representative director of André Passion; and actor Asuka Kudo.
Each judge selected one favorite cheese from the preceding rounds, presented it to the audience, tasted the candidates and assigned scores.
The comments reflected the judges’ distinct professional perspectives and were fascinating for spectators. Chef Yahei Suzuki, for example, presented a hard-aged cheese containing black pepper and praised the technical skill behind the pepper being distributed evenly throughout the cheese. He added that he would like to slice it thinly and serve it over grilled meat.
The awards included the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award as the top prize, along with the Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation Chairman’s Award, Central Dairy Council Chairman’s Award, Judges’ Special Award, Gold Awards, Excellence Awards and Best Trial Award.
【Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award】 Washed rind — Casa Bianca Raclette, Yamada Farm, Shiga
【Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation Chairman’s Award】 Hard, aged 6 months or longer — Grand, Rokko Mountain Pasture Cheese Workshop, Hyogo
【Central Dairy Council Chairman’s Award】 Pasta filata — Stracciatella di San Francesco, Caseificio San Francesco / ITALCHEESE LLC, Gifu
【Judges’ Special Award】 Blue — Yamankubbai Blue, Daiwa Farm, Miyazaki
【Best Trial Award】 Trial — Brown Cheese Powder, Petit Lait Japon, Tokyo
See the full list of award-winning cheeses here:
https://www.dairy.co.jp/cheesecontes/img/015.pdf
Editor’s Pick: Petit Lait Japon’s Brown Cheese Powder, winner of the Best Trial Award
This whey-based brown cheese is cooked down even further than conventional brown cheese to remove moisture and make it firm enough to turn into powder. The process is highly labor-intensive, requiring careful heat control and constant stirring to prevent scorching from excessive evaporation.
The finished cheese balances gentle bitterness with milk-derived acidity. The producer said, “We hope people will enjoy sprinkling it over salads or ice cream.”
The tasting venue, with cheeses from 123 workshops and opportunities to meet their producers, was packed again this year, filling the Phoenix Room.
Cheese lovers and industry professionals enjoyed reunions with producers and tasted cheeses while hearing the stories behind them.
Wine and sake corners were also available, once again demonstrating how well Japanese drinks can pair with Japanese cheese.
Whether or not they won awards, the cheeses were remarkably high in quality, and the tasting also showed the creative energy behind new ideas.
The event left expectations even higher for the future development of Japanese cheese.
