Cheese awards 'victory for the whole Island,' says ADL

P.E.I.'s Amalgamated Dairy Ltd. took its Dairy Isle cheese back to the British Empire Cheese Show last month and returned home with more hardware.

Dairy Isle cheddars took the top prize in two categories, for a mild cheddar less than two months of age, and for a mature cheddar 12 to 15 months of age. It also took third prize for a medium, coloured cheddar, three to six months of age.

ADL corporate sales manager Lee Turner said the awards show country's cheese-making community appreciates the work the company is doing.

"It validates the process, and for us the process begins on the farm. The milk producers here on Prince Edward Island take extraordinary measures to produce the best quality that I think is found in North American. And good cheese starts with good milk," Turner said.

"We see it as a victory for the whole Island."

Rapidly growing sales

The British Empire Cheese Show in Toronto was first held in 1928, and is the oldest in Canada. It pits cheeses from Canada against cheeses from around the Commonwealth.

ADL launched the Dairy Isle brand at the British Empire Cheese show two years ago, positioning it as a deli-quality cheese that you can buy in the dairy aisle. Lee said the brand has been very successful, with sales this November tracking at 20 times what they were in November of 2016.

Earlier this year ADL's two-year-old cheddar was named grand reserve champion at the Royal Winter Fair.

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