The best cheese of 2021. This year's NM (Norgesmesterskap) took place on Friday, October 22nd. More than 200 cheeses from 56 producers were presented at the DOGA fair in Oslo. The products have been evaluated by over 50 scientists, technologists and food producers.
56 Norwegian producers participated in the fair
- I would like to congratulate all the winners in the Cheese Championship Norway, played on October 22nd. Special congratulations to - Stavanger Ysteri and Konrad, who have received the Cheese of the Year awards. Norwegian cheese production is thriving and is an important part of Norwegian agriculture. I want to help ensure the continued good development of this industry - says Minister of Agriculture and Food Sandra Borch.
More about the Norwegian Cheese Championship
Since 2001, national farmer cheese exhibitions have been organized in Norway. As part of these exhibitions, the Norwegian Cheese Championship will eventually be held. The development of participation can illustrate the development of the Norwegian cheese industry in many ways. In 2001, 40 producers, 67 cheeses in total, participated in the national farm cheese exhibition in Fagernes.
The aim of the organizer of the Norwegian Cheese Championship is:
- Encourage more people to buy Norwegian and locally processed cheeses thanks to their high quality and good flavors
- Raising awareness of the variety of flavors and categories of cheeses, including traditional cheeses
- Raising awareness of the importance of Norwegian and locally processed cheese in preserving the cultural landscape and food culture, creating value and using Norwegian resources.
Variety of cheeses.
On the newly created website ostelandet.no there is an overview of cheeses. There, all products are divided by category and geography. The cheeses are sorted into eight categories: blue cheese, brown cheese, hard cheese, fresh cheese, white cheese, red cheese, salar cheese, and traditional cheese. Producers are located all over the country - from Ostemaker Øverli east in Finnmark to the Tjamsland farm near Lillesand and Kristiansand. NM brings together both agricultural dairies and larger regional dairies.
Among the previous winners we find two who also won the World Cup, these are Tingvollost and Ostegården w Fana.
Good growth in the cheese industry. Norwegian Cheese Championship
Almost 20 years ago, a major change was made to the rules governing the milk quota system. From 1 July 2003, milk producers were exempt from the overproduction tax for local milk processing. The aim of the program was to stimulate added value creation in milk production by seizing the market opportunities for locally processed milk.
Many of today's cheese producers and other small-scale dairy players started their activities around 2003. The usage statistics for this opportunity give a good indication of the development of the cheese industry in Norway and show a steady and strong development.
There are over 80 dairies in Norway that produce 350 different types of cheese
According to the site ostelandet.no there are over 80 dairies in Norway. They produce over 350 different types of cheese. Certainly, the development in cheese making follows the good development we see with local food and drink. Norwegian consumers are increasingly demanding such products and the turnover has exceeded NOK 11 billion per year.
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