A Hamilton-area cheese maker, which operates out of a creamery in Hannan, Ont., is beaming after picking up five awards at the recent World Cheese Awards in Wales.
Accolades for The Udder Way Artisan Cheese Company at the early November show included a pair of bronze awards, two silvers and a hard to get “super gold” award.
Owner Tor Krueger admitted to 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today that cheese making was actually secondary when he travelled from Germany to Canada in following up a tool and die making career.
“I’ve always had a passion for food and cheese in particular, and in 2013, I went to Vermont and studied at the University of Burlington,” Krueger explained.
“They have an artisan cheese institute there, and that’s how I learned my craft.”
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Krueger, who’s been making cheese at his creamery since 2016, saw all five of his entries pick up something at the awards including best Canadian cheese beating more than 70 other entries.
His first foray into the “world of cheese” started as a co-owner of the 2,500 square foot Cheese Shoppe on Locke almost a decade ago.
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“Obviously everybody wants to make money, but what really drove me initially was I just love making cheese … I’m just happy that I pursued a passion,” said Krueger.
Oveja Negra, the brand that scored Udder Way the super gold prize, is a firm cheese made from sheep’s milk which roughly combines attributes of the italian Pecorino Romano and Spanish Manchego.
Making the award winner is a “long process,” according to Krueger, requiring six months of aging for the flavour to develop.
“We pasteurize milk … bring it down to a certain temperature, add cultures, let it sit for for a bit,” Krueger explained.
“We set the milk with rennet (enzymes) then we cut that into small pieces … cooking the cheese for a certain period of time … put it into cheese molds … drain for 24 to 36 hours, then after that it goes into the aging room.”
An element of the process Krueger says can be tricky is acquisition of the milk, saying the ingredient has to come from grass-fed animals.
“Certain cheese from certain areas, they have a very particular flavour, that has a lot to do with what the animals are actually eating … it’s a big part of it,” he said.
The Udder Way cheese can be purchased from the company’s factory outlet on Highway 20 between 3rd and Tapleytown in Hannon.
The Paris Wincey Mills Company market and select Sobeys outlets also carry the award winning product.
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