Blakesville Creamery is proud to announce that Artze, a signature soft-ripened sheep’s milk cheese dusted with Piment d’Espelette, has been named Second Place, Best of Show at the 2026 American Cheese Society (ACS) Judging & Competition, one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in North America.
Chosen from more than 1,600 entries representing over 200 creameries across the Americas, Artze rose through multiple rounds of technical and aesthetic judging to earn one of the competition’s highest honors. Winners were announced on July 8 during the American Cheese Society’s Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
Artze is a soft-ripened lactic sheep’s milk cheese with a delicate Geotrichum candidum rind finished with a dusting of Piment d’Espelette. The milk for Artze is sourced from Ms. J & Co. Dairy Farm in Juda, Wisconsin founded by Senior Animal Scientist Mariana Marques de Almeida, whose Assaf sheep produce exceptionally rich milk prized for cheesemaking.
Head Cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza praised the collective effort to produce exceptional artisan cheese “I am immensely proud of my small, but mighty team of five for their hard work and dedication to our craft. I also want to extend thanks to our milk producer, Mariana Marques de Almeida and our milk hauler, Larry Heidrich for their commitment to quality and service. We’re honored to represent Wisconsin and showcase the incredible potential of artisan sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses.”
Owner of Blakesville Dairy Farm and Blakesville Creamery Lynde Uihlein underscored the context for this great honor: “Every wheel of Artze represents the dedication of our farmers and cheesemakers together with our many industry partners who share our complementary commitments to thoughtful land use, environmental protection, and the creation of delicious food.” She added, “To be recognized among the very best in the U.S. is a testament to our investment in these values.”
In addition to Artze’s Best of Show recognition, Blakesville Creamery received three category awards at the 2026 ACS Judging & Competition:
● Artze: Gold Medal, Soft-Ripened with Flavor Added, All Milks (qualifying it for the Best of Show judging)
● St. Germain: Silver Medal, Goat’s Milk Cheese Aged Over 60 Days
● Llanes: Bronze Medal, Soft-Ripened Sheep’s Milk Cheese
The 2026 ACS Judging & Competition featured more than 1,600 cheeses and cultured dairy products judged by a panel of 42 experts over five days. A total of 438 awards were presented, with Artze earning the coveted Second Place Best of Show distinction.
These latest honors continue Blakesville Creamery’s remarkable success in national and international competitions. Since 2022, the creamery has earned:
● 23 American Cheese Society Awards, including this Second Place Best of Show, 7 Gold (including a Top Ten Best of Show finalist in 2024), 8 Silver, and 7 Bronze medals
● 6 World Championship Cheese Contest Awards (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
● 2 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest Awards (1 Gold, 1 Bronze)
● 1 Good Food Award
Blakesville Creamery is a women-owned and -operated farmstead creamery led by Owner Lynde Uihlein, Head Cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza, and Business Manager Juli Kaufmann. The creamery produces 15 handcrafted cheeses made from goat or sheep’s milk. Its farmstead goat cheeses are made exclusively with milk from the adjacent Blakesville Dairy Farm, where Farm Manager Whitney Sakal and team oversees the humane care of more than 1,500 goats. The creamery’s sheep’s milk cheeses are crafted with milk sourced from Ms. J & Co. Dairy Farm.
About Blakesville Creamery
Blakesville Creamery is a farmstead creamery located in Port Washington, Wisconsin, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Sheboygan. Since opening in 2020, the creamery has become nationally recognized for its handcrafted goat and sheep’s milk cheeses, combining traditional cheesemaking techniques with a state-of-the-art production facility. Their artisan cheeses — including Fresh Chèvre, Shabby Shoe, Linedeline, Afterglow, Artze, St. Germain, and Llanes — have earned acclaim from judges, cheesemongers, chefs, and consumers alike.
Head Cheesemaker Veronica Pedraza brings nearly two decades of artisan cheesemaking experience to Blakesville Creamery. Prior to joining Blakesville, she held cheesemaking and creamery leadership roles at Sweet Grass Dairy in Georgia, Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont, and Meadowood Farms in New York, where her cheeses earned numerous national awards. Pedraza has also worked as a monger for some of America’s best cheese counters including Chicago’s All Together Now and Pastoral Artisan Cheese; and Saxelby Cheesemongers in New York City. During the 2026 American Cheese Society Annual Conference, Pedraza was also inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, an internationally respected organization dedicated to advancing cheese knowledge, craftsmanship, and tradition.
