Newsletter Deadline: Oct 15th

Please send Mary at Little Falls Farm any material you might have for the next Guild Newsletter before October 15th. This could be links to interesting stories about Maine cheese, or just cheese in general; or it could be experiences you’ve had that others might learn from; or it could be an article about an interesting topic that you’ve meant to explore.

Cheese HAACP Training Offered in VT

The Vermont Cheese Council will hold a two day Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training for cheesemakers and cheesemaking operations.

Dates: Wednesdays, October 6 and 13, 2010
Time: 9:30am-4pm
Location: Provisions International, 42 North Main Street in White River Junction
Cost: $100 ($50/day)
To register: email Rachel Fritz Schaal or call 866.261.8595

Participants will:
Develop a HACCP plan from milk though packaged cheese
Conduct a hazard analysis
Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs) and set critical limits
Monitor CCPs and establish appropriate corrective actions
Validate your CCPs and verify your HACCP plan
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Guild Members Awarded at 2010 ACS Competition

Congratulations to two Maine Cheese Guild cheese makers who were awarded multiple ribbons at the 2010 American Cheese Society conference competition, the largest cheese competition in North America including entries from the US, Canada, and Mexico.

A total of five awards went to the two Guild members: Pineland Farms Creamery won three awards; Appleton Creamery won two awards. Maine maintains its lock on the Feta category, with each cheese maker winning ribbons there, while Pineland’s Salsa Jack has won awards for several years.

All the 2010 ACS competition awards can be found here.

Soft-ripened white mold cheeses, flavor added:
1st place — Appleton Creamery, “Camella”

Feta, cow’s milk:
3rd place: Pineland Farms Creamery, “Feta”

Feta, sheep’s milk:
1st Appleton Creamery, “Sophia Feta”

Monterrey Jack, flavor added:
3rd place: Pineland Farm Creamery, “Salsa Jack”

Cheese Spreads, flavor added:
2nd place: Pineland Farms Creamery, “Spreadable Salsa Jack”