Grand Champion and Reserve Champion cheesemakers were selected on Thursday, July 17 at the 2025 Ohio State Fair Cheese Contest held at Miceli Dairy Products in Cleveland.

The American Dairy Association Mideast, who coordinated the event, is pleased to announce that Pearl Valley Cheese of Fresno took top honors, receiving the overall Grand Champion award for their Swiss cheese. Urban Stead Cheese of Cincinnati received the overall Reserve Champion award for their Gouda.

Participation was at an all-time high with 83 entries from cheesemakers across the state. Winners of the contest by classification are as follows:

Swiss Class

First Place: Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno

Second Place: Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno

Third Place: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg

Other Swiss Class

First Place: Urban Stead Cheese, Cincinnati – Gouda

Second Place: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg – Ziller

Third Place: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg – Baby Swiss

Mild Cheddar Class

First Place: Snowville Creamery, Pomeroy

Second Place: Middlefield Original Cheese, Middlefield

Third Place: Black Radish Creamery, Granville

Aged Cheddar Class

First Place: Middlefield Original Cheese, Middlefield

Second Place: Urban Stead Cheese, Cincinnati

Surface Mold Bloomy Class

First Place: Urban Stead Cheese, Cincinnati – Camembert

Second Place: Marchant Manor Cheese, Cleveland – Peppercorn Camembert

Third Place: Marchant Manor Cheese, Cleveland – Camembert

Bacteria Ripened Class

First Place: Marchant Manor Cheese, Cleveland – High Heaven Stout

Second Place: Black Radish Creamery, Granville – Pious

Spreadable Class

First Place: Turkeyfoot Creek Creamery, Wauseon – Strawberry Rhubarb Quark

Second Place: Blue Jacket Dairy, Bellefontaine – Lemon Quark

Third Place: Miceli Dairy Products, Cleveland – Ricotta Whole Milk

Cheese Curd Class

First Place: Tri-State Cheese, Hicksville – Muenster

Second Place: Tri-State Cheese, Hicksville – Garlic Dill Muenster

Third Place: Tri-State Cheese, Hicksville – Colby

Open Class – Traditional

First Place: Miceli Dairy Products, Cleveland – Mascarpone

Second Place: Miceli Dairy Products, Cleveland – Mozzarella

Third Place: Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno – Colby

Open Class – Flavored

First Place: Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno – Smoked Swiss

Second Place: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg – Smoked Swiss

Third Place: Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg – Smoked Ziller

Open Class – Spicy

First Place: Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno – Jumpin’ Jack

Second Place: Tri-State Cheese, Hicksville – Thunder Jack

Third Place: Biery Cheese Co., Louisville – Horseradish

Other Mammal Class

First Place: Blue Jacket Dairy, Bellefontaine – Feta

Second Place: Blue Jacket Dairy, Bellefontaine – Chevre

Third Place: Marchant Manor Cheese, Cleveland – Trafalgar

“I was impressed with the participation of Ohio’s cheesemakers, the large variety of cheeses that were presented and the innovative flavor profiles that were submitted. Consumers are looking for different options such as the blueberry, cranberry and stout washed cheeses I saw today,” says Tracy Enslen, vice president of business development for ADA Mideast “We recognize the top three in each class, but there were so many more that should be proud of their hard work. Congratulations to all of those who entered!”

Judges for the contest included Steve Funk of Nelson-Jameson Inc, Aileen Kacvinsky of Schuman Cheese, Frank McWhirter of Great Lakes Cheese and Bill Rufenacht of the Dairy Connection.

About American Dairy Association Mideast

We proudly represent Ohio and West Virginia’s dairy farm families, who work hard to care for their cows and land so they can nourish our communities with fresh, safe and nutritious dairy foods.

We are passionate about all things dairy — from sharing our dairy farmers’ stories to supporting youth wellness to delivering science-based information to health professionals, school nutrition directors, educators, media and consumers. As an affiliate of the National Dairy Council, we are dedicated to fostering healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy planet now and for future generations.