Denver, CO (August 8, 2012) — Flagsheep from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in WA and NY was named
“Best of Show” among 1,711 entries at the American Cheese Society’s 2012 Judging & Competition. The
results were announced in a ceremony on Friday, August 3 at the 29th Annual ACS Conference in Raleigh,
NC. Valley Shepherd Creamery in NJ was awarded 2nd Place overall for Crema De Blue and Emmi Roth
USA in WI took 3rd place overall for its Roth Grand Cru Surchoix.

Kurt Beecher Dammeier of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese says of
Flagsheep’s win, "It takes great milk, talented cheesemakers, and a little
luck to make a cheese worthy of this great honor. On behalf of the
sheep, the cows, and our cheesemakers headed by Brad Sinko, I thank
all the judges for this recognition."

The 2012 ACS Judging & Competition was the largest in ACS history,
with 254 companies entering 1,711 different products. Entering
companies represented 30 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces, along
with Mexico and Colombia. 354 ribbons were awarded: 95 first place
ribbons, 121 second place ribbons, and 138 third place ribbons. See the
attached media kit for a complete breakdown of awards by product, dairy
location, and milk source, as well as for producers’ contact information.

For a printable list of this year’s winners and judges’ bios, visit
http://www.cheesesociety.org/competition/2012-winners.

Photographs from the 2012 ACS Conference & Competition may be downloaded via the link below. All
photographs should be credited to Uriah Carpenter:
http://uriahcarpenter.smugmug.com/Cheese/ACS-2012-Raleigh-NC/24588151_sTfq3h

The 30th Annual ACS Conference & Competition will take place July 31 – August 3, 2013 in Madison, WI.