Netherlands wins World Champion title with Beemster Royaal Grand Cru
World’s top 20 cheeses revealed by Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
After three days of intense competition, a rich, nutty, cow’s milk cheese has been named the 2026 World Champion Cheese. The cheese, Beemster Royaal Grand Cru, is made by CONO Kaasmakers in Westbeemster, Netherlands. With an impressive score of 98.68 out of 100, Beemster Royaal Grand Cru topped 3,375 entries in this year’s World Championship Cheese Contest to win the coveted top prize.
First runner-up in the contest, with a score of 98.45, is Appenzeller Purple Label, an aged Appenzeller made by Lucas Meier and Käserei Kirchberg in Appenzell, Switzerland. The second runner-up, coming in just four-hundredths of a point behind with a score of 98.41, is an Aged Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses called Alter Fritz made by Hardegger Käse AG in Jonschwil, Switzerland.
“Congratulations go to the team at CONO Kaasmakers for reaching the pinnacle of their craft with a win at the World Championship Cheese Contest, an exceptionally hard feat in a year in which our top finishers were separated by only fractions of a point,” said John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), the contest host organization. “The caliber of this year’s competition speaks to the dedication of dairy manufacturers the world over to excellence in their craft, and we applaud their work.”
A total of 25 countries and 34 U.S. states and territories were represented in the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest, with entries submitted across 148 classes. Cheesemakers from the United States earned the most gold medals by country overall, claiming 96 Best of Class finishes.
Wisconsin dairy processors led the way with 45 first-place awards, followed by New York with eight and Vermont with seven. Cheesemakers from California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.
Manufacturers from the Netherlands and Switzerland each earned 12 gold medals, while cheesemakers from Australia and Spain took home five Best of Class awards apiece. Cheesemakers from Austria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Sweden also earned gold at the competition.
Hosted by WCMA since 1957, the World Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical dairy products evaluation in the world. A team of 56 internationally renowned judges evaluated all entries over the three-day event, held March 3-5 in Madison, Wisconsin
The top 20 cheeses, in order of class number, are:
Class #: 7 - Natural Rinded Cheddar
Cheese: Flagship Reserve
Maker: Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Company: Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Location: Seattle, Washington, United States of America
Class #: 13 - Rinded Swiss Style
Cheese: Emmentaler AOP
Maker: Marcus Hengartner and Robin Straub, Village Dairy Rohremoos
Company: Gourmino AG
Location: Lömmenschwil, SG, Switzerland
Class #: 33 - Gorgonzola
Cheese: Mycella 60+
Maker: Team St. Clemens
Company: Bornsholms Andelsmejeri, St. Clemens
Location: Klemensker, Bornholm, Denmark
Class #: 37 - Brie
Cheese: Le Châtelain Brie
Maker: Fromagerie du Raival
Company: Lactalis American Group
Location: Raival, France
Class #: 42 - Gouda, Young
Cheese: FriesGoud Young
Maker: A-ware Cheese Heerenveen
Company: Royal A-ware
Location: Heerenveen, Netherlands
Class #: 43 - Gouda, Mature
Cheese: Rembrandt 26 Weeks
Maker: Team Lutjewinkel
Company: FrieslandCampina
Location: Lutjewinkel, Netherlands
Class #: 51 - Gruyere
Cheese: Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP
Maker: Michael Spycher, Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus
Company: Gourmino AG
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Class #: 52 - Appenzeller, Young
Cheese: Mifroma Appenzeller Silver
Maker: Käserei Tschumper
Company: Mifroma USA
Location: Degersheim, Switzerland
Class #: 53 - Appenzeller, Aged ~ FIRST RUNNER-UP
Cheese: Appenzeller® Purple Label
Maker: Lucas Meier, Käserei Kirchberg
Company: SO Appenzeller Käse GmbH
Location: Appenzell, Switzerland
Class #: 54 - Open Class: Alpine Cheeses
Cheese: Mifroma Alpenhorn
Maker: Urnäscher Milchspezialitäten
Company: Mifroma USA
Location: Urnäsch, Switzerland
Class #: 57 - Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Aged ~ SECOND RUNNER-UP
Cheese: Alter Fritz
Maker: Hardegger Käse AG
Company: Hardegger Käse AG
Location: Jonschwil, Switzerland
Class #: 58 - Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Mature
Cheese: Suncatcher
Maker: Jasper Hill Creamery
Company: Cellars at Jasper Hill
Location: Greensboro, Vermont, United States of America
Class #: 59 - Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Extra Aged
Cheese: Heumilch Traumkäse
Maker: Othmar Pichler and Team
Company: Obersteirische Molkerei eGen
Location: Knittelfeld, Austria
Class #: 60 - Raclette
Cheese: Gmunder Milk Traukirchner Raclette
Maker: Team Gmunder Molkerei
Company: Gmundner Molkerei GmbH
Location: Gmunden, Austria
Class #: 73 - Open Class: Hard Cheeses ~ WORLD CHAMPION WINNER
Cheese: Beemster Royaal Grand Cru
Maker: CONO Kaasmakers
Company: CONO Kaasmakers
Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands
Class #: 81 - Reduced Fat Soft & Semi-soft Cheeses
Cheese: Beemsterlite Medium 30+
Maker: CONO Kaasmakers
Company: CONO Kaasmakers
Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands
Class #: 98 - Semi-soft (Semi-hard) Goat's Milk Cheeses
Cheese: Kaltbach Goat
Maker: Emmi Kaltbach
Company: Emmi Switzerland AG
Location: Kaltbach, Switzerland
Class #: 100 - Hard Goat's Milk Cheeses
Cheese: Midnight Moon
Maker: Cypress Grove
Company: Cypress Grove Cheese
Location: Netherlands
Class #: 106 - Hard Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Mature
Cheese: Ojos del Guadiana
Maker: Manchega Ojos del Guadiana
Company: Manchega Ojos del Guadiana
Location: Daimiel, Spain
Class #: 114 - Hard Mixed Milk Cheeses
Cheese: Seleccion Tostado Mixed Milk Cheese Extra Aged
Maker: Queserías Entrepinares S.A.U.
Company: Queserías Entrepinares
Location: Valladolid, Spain
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