Muntanyola cheeses that AMPANS produces at the Urpina farm, in Sant Salvador de Guardiola, in the Bages region, have won a gold and a bronze medal at the World Cheese Awards 2022, the international cheese competition. The winners were selected and unveiled in an event hosted in Wales, United Kingdom, where more than 4,000 cheeses from 42 countries competed.
Garrotxa, a semi-cured goat cheese, has been recognized with the gold medal among the best cheeses in the world in its category, while Lúpulus, an eco-cured cow’s milk cheese washed in beer, has obtained the bronze medal.
Anna Prado, Formatges Muntanyola manager, emphasized “the award recognizes the effort, dedication and hard work of the whole team in the social project that started almost ten years ago, to grow the cheese factory maintaining the quality standards. We are very happy.”.
Garrotxa, the Muntanyola cheese awarded with the gold medal, is made with goat’s milk and slowly aged. It gives off an aroma of fresh milk, with a creamy texture and a soft and pleasant flavor on the palate.
Lúpulus, that won the bronze medal, is produced with organic cow’s milk. Matured slowly for three to six months and the rind is washed with beer.
The World Cheese Awards 2022, which took place this week in the UK, announced the winners at an event on Wednesday in Wales, after 250 professional tasters judged the best cheeses from more than 4,000 submissions from forty countries. The rind, the body, the shade, the texture, the consistency, and the taste, are the fundamental aspects that this extensive jury takes into account when identifying the most precious cheeses.
It isn’t the first time that Formatges Muntanyola is awarded at the World Cheese Awards. They have been recognised by the contest in numerous times previously, and its Goat Blue Cheese got the gold medal too. Recently, Formatges Muntanyola has also been recognized in the livestock world for the genetic value of its herd of goats, appearing in third place in the reference ranking of Caprigran Murciano Granada goats.
Formatges Muntanyola Formatges Muntanyola produces 13 references of artisanal cheese made with 4 varieties of milk: goat, buffalo, cow and sheep at Urpina farm in Bages, Catalonia. The cheese factory is a part of the social project of the AMPANS foundation,a non-profit organization that works for the full inclusion of people with disabilities, mental illness and in vulnerable situations.