This prestigious accolade, as well as the Qualité awards granted to a select few top dairy products present the highest honour of the SA Dairy Championships which was this year presented for the 180th
time.
“Sustainably presenting these Championships for
180 years, as well as the impressive growth in number of entries and quality
thereof over the last decade, is indeed an achievement of note. The
Championships today represents the entire South African dairy industry and is
perceived as one of the top dairy competitions in the world,” says Johan
Ehlers, Agri-Expo CEO.
This year 68 producers entered 821 products in the
categories for butter, cheese, cottage cheese, yoghurt, flavoured milk, dairy
dips, ice cream and dairy dessert. According to internationally
experienced cheese judge, Ulf Mortensen, the general level of quality of the
entries has improved since he last judged at the SA Dairy Championships in
2012. “The vast majority of samples were of reasonably good to very good
quality,” he says. “My contribution would be to encourage
cheese makers to make sure that a cheese is not simply good tasting, but in
fact also attractive to look at. After all, consumers buy with their eyes
first, then on account of smell and finally the taste.”
According to Darryl Clayton, DuPont Nutrition &
Health Sub-Saharan Africa Sales Director, "The Qualité Awards have been
supported by DuPont for many years and continue to foster and reward efforts in
quality and innovation in the dairy sector,” Clayton says. “These dairy sector
awards remain at the forefront of industry recognition and are a worthy example
of what other industries should try to emulate to foster innovation".
SA Dairy Product of the Year
The Klein River Cheese
Grana overwhelmed the judges with its typically strong, yet fruity and slightly
sweet flavours and granular texture. Its smooth, natural rind is hard and
thick, preserving this cheese well.
Chief judge, Kobus Mulder, vouch for the excellence of
this cheese: “The SA Dairy Championships draws the best dairy products of the
country and it is usually a tough challenge to choose the best product in each
class,” he says. “However, the Klein River Cheese Grana
so impressed the judges with its great taste and typical texture that they were
in total agreement that this was indeed Number 1.”
Qualité winners
Fifteen exceptional products will wear the 2014
Qualité mark of excellence. This year Lancewood led with the highest
tally of Qualité awards with no less than four for their Low Fat Smooth Cottage
Cheese, Low Fat Chunky Chives Cottage Cheese, Woolworths Creamed Cottage Cheese
and the Pick ‘n Pay Low Fat Peppadew and Garlic Chunky Cottage Cheese. Marcel’s
Frozen Yoghurt followed closely on their heels with their Woolworths Tropical
Fruit Frozen Yoghurt, Woolworths Double Toffee Frozen Yoghurt and the Nougat
Flavoured Frozen Yoghurt with Macadamia Nuts.
In addition Clover SA won a duo of awards for their
Mooirivier Salted Butter and Butro Butter Spread with sunflower oil. The
following producers were awarded one Qualité each: Belnori Boutique Cheesery
(Von Tobien), Fair Cape Dairies (Woolworths Chocolate Delight), Karoo Goat’s
Milk Products (Soft Goat’s Milk Cheese Balls with Garlic Pepper), Klein River Cheese (Grana), Parmalat SA (Simonsberg Low Fat
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese) and Van der Poel Kaas (Gonedsa Oud 12-15 months).
SA Champions
Ninety-five (95) of the 821 dairy products entered for
this year’s Du Pont SA Dairy Championships, were heralded as SA Champions.
Parmalat, South Africa’s largest producer of dairy products took the lead with
no less than 13 champions, followed by Lancewood Holdings (10), Fair Cape
Dairies (7) and Belnori Boutique Cheesery and Clover SA with six each.
Contact Agri-Expo for more information about the SA Dairy Championships at 021 975 4440 or visit www.cheesesa.co.za.