Cheese Competition

The American Dairy Goat Association welcomes your participation in the Goat Milk Products Competition, which will be held at the ADGA Annual Convention. The competition is open to both Commercial and Amateur Cheese and Confection makers.

If you have questions regarding the Goat Milk Products Competition, please contact Products Committee Chair Caroline Lawson at tlcgoats@gmail.com.

Participate in the Cheese Competition

Entry Form

Judges

Our 2025 Judges are Margaret Morris (Technical) and Zoe Brickley (Aesthetic). View their bios to learn more about each judge.

Zoe Brickley

Aesthetic Judge

Margaret Morris

Technical Judge

Prizes

Our Commercial Cheese Best in Show winner will receive a rosette and a $250 gift card, and our Commercial Cheese Reserve Best in Show winner will receive a rosette and a $150 gift card.

Our Amateur Cheese Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show Winners will each receive a rosette and a copy of the year’s cheese judge, Margaret Morris’s book, “The Cheesemaker’s Manual.”

The first, second, and third-place winners in each class (both commercial and amateur) will receive a ribbon.

Rules & Classes

Entries must follow best practices for safe cheese production.

***Site-specific rule for 2025***: Commercial producers providing products for the products reception must provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI). The COI must either be forwarded to the Products Committee Chair, Caroline Lawson, prior to the Convention or included with the products being provided. Please see the linked sample certificate and required verbiage for the COI. Vendor Insurance Requirement

2025 Cheese Competition Classes revised 2025 Download

Additional Information

Commercial products will be served at the Products’ Reception on Tuesday evening, October 21, 2025. The winning Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show products will be auctioned off at the reception.
The Best in Show winning product will receive a rosette and a prize of $250, and the Reserve Best in Show will receive a rosette and a prize of $150.
Please send promotional material or placards in the shipping container(s), along with your product entries.
For commercial soft cheeses/yogurt/kefir/butter/confections/frozen products – please send three packages of soft cheese or product in the form in which it is sold (for example: logs, pyramids, or other types of containers). One will be for judging, and the other two will be for the Products Reception.
For commercial hard cheese, please send uncut, unplugged blocks or wheels with a minimum weight of 2 lbs.
Entry fees for the commercial division will be waived if producers provide a minimum of 2 lbs of product (combined) over and above what is required for judging.

Entries must follow best practices for safe cheese production.

Sanitation and Hygiene
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and during cheese making.
- Wear clean clothing and avoid working when ill.
- Sanitize all equipment before and after use (1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water).
- Ensure the work area is clean, well-ventilated, and free from contaminants.
Milk Handling
- Use high-quality milk from healthy animals.
- Keep milk refrigerated at or below 40°F (4°C) until use.
- If using raw milk, ensure it is from a trusted source.
- Pasteurize milk (heat to 161°F for 15 seconds, then cool to below 40°F).
Temperature Control
- Monitor and maintain recommended temperatures during cheese making.
- Age cheese in a controlled environment (50°F to 55°F with 80% to 90% humidity).
Cultures and Ingredients
- Use food-safe starter cultures from reputable suppliers.
- Store and use rennet, salt, and additives as per manufacturer instructions.
- Avoid using expired ingredients.
Aging and Storage
- Age cheese on sanitized surfaces.
- Regularly check for signs of spoilage (off odors, slimy textures, mold).
- Wrap aged cheese in breathable material (e.g., cheese paper).
- Store cheese in a refrigerator after aging.
Documentation and Traceability
- Keep detailed records of each cheese batch (date, ingredients, milk source, temperatures).
- Clearly label all cheeses (production dates, milk type, storage instructions).
Handling and Serving
- Use clean utensils and cutting boards when serving cheese.
- Refrigerate leftover cheese promptly.
Final Compliance Checklist
- Before submitting your cheese for competition, ensure:
- The equipment was sanitized.
- Hygiene practices were followed.
- The milk source was trusted and healthy.
- Proper pasteurization or raw milk handling procedures were followed.
- Temperatures were controlled throughout the process.
- Food-safe cultures and additives were used.
- The cheese was aged in a clean, controlled environment.
- Records of the cheese-making process were kept.
- The cheese was labeled with essential information.

Entry Deadline

Entries must be made using the online entry form and received by September 30th.

All entries must be received at the ADGA Convention Registration Desk at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Danvers, MA, no earlier than Wednesday, October 15, and no later than Saturday, October 18, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. Hand delivery may be made by prior arrangement by contacting Products Committee Chair Caroline Lawson at tlcgoats@gmail.com.

Those shipping cheese to the hotel must prominently mark packages as “ADGA Goat Milk Products Competition” and send them to the Convention Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston North Shore, Attn: ADGA Convention, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA.

Packages must contain a packing slip stating the number of boxes shipped, names, and the number of items in each box. Please include the unique name of each product and any relevant information about the make and flavoring on the entry form, especially if you have more than one entry in the same category. Please mark each of your entered product(s) with your unique ENTRY ID from your product entry confirmation. Make sure you mark the package(s) “Perishable” in large lettering in several spots if possible.