Allison Lakin, of Lakins Gorges Cheese, holds Opus 42, which received a silver award at the World Cheese Awards on Thursday, Nov. 13. (Photo courtesy Allison Lakin)
Lakin’s Gorges Cheese, of Waldoboro, has been named among the winners at the World Cheese Awards.
The globally recognized event took place at Festhalle at BernExpo, Switzerland on Thursday, Nov. 13 and a saw a record-breaking 5,244 entries from 46 countries across the globe.
Opus 42, an aged cheese made in Waldoboro, was one of the standout entrants, securing a coveted silver award.
The cheeses were judged by a panel of 265 leading cheese experts, including affineurs, graders, and producers as well as retailers, journalists, broadcasters, and other experts in the field. Each year the panel is hand selected from some of the most accomplished cheese professionals in the world to ensure there is a balance of age, gender, discipline, and areas of expertise.
Judges work in teams of two or three, identifying any cheeses worthy of a bronze, silver, gold, or super gold award. They assess the look, feel, smell and taste of each entry, scoring aspects such as the appearance of the rind and paste, as well as the cheese’s aroma, body, and texture, with the majority of points awarded for flavor and mouth feel.
Opus 42, by Lakins Gorges Cheese in Waldoboro. The cheese received a silver award at the World Cheese Awards on Thursday, Nov. 13. (Photo courtesy Allison Lakin)
To ensure a completely fair competition, the entire judging process is blind, meaning all packaging and identifying logos and markings are removed, and the judges are given a brief description, but no indication of origin or producer.
The award-winning Opus 42 is an aged, semi-firm cheese that is slightly sharp, nutty, and buttery.
“The amazing thing about the World Cheese Awards is that the cheeses are judged blind, which means my microcreamery cheese is standing on its own merit among giants in the cheese world,” said Allison Lakin, of Lakin’s Gorges Cheese. “Opus 42 is my signature cheese, and each year it gets better.
This has been a great year for Opus 42, as it also won a silver medal at the Big E Cheese Awards.
“When I founded the company in 2011, I was buying milk, but since 2020 the milk has come from my own herd of Jersey cows,” Lakin said. “The cows are primarily grass fed, grazing in the summer and eating hay in the winter, receiving just enough grain to balance out nutritional deficiencies.”
Lakin’s seaweed-laced Rockweed won a gold medal at the World Championship Cheese Awards in 2022 and increased the demand for my cheese exponentially.
“I have high hopes for more people choosing Opus 42 this winter,” Lakin said. “I am always looking for new wholesale customers as well.”
The cheese is available at many restaurants, coops, and cheese shops in New England. The cheese can also be ordered online at lakinsgorgescheese.com. Lakin offers a cheese gift box that includes an assortment of cheeses, including Opus 42, and Maine-made crackers and honey. Lakin will donate $5 from all gift box sales to the Waldoboro Food Pantry through Wednesday, Dec. 31.
