2025 American Cheese Competition Best in Show is from Quebec

The large farm has been in the Bolduc family for four generations, dating back to 1928. They have 600 acres of land, and 400 of that is certified organic. In 1994, they started the fromagerie to add to the products already grown and created on the farm.

Simon-Pierre Bolduc, the son of the current owners, is the cheese maker for the family and oversees the fromagerie. He has created several memorable cheeses using the excellent organic milk produced by their herd of 85 cows.

Chemin Hatley (Hatley Road), named for one of the country roads bordering the farm, is a semi-firm to firm cheese, and Comtomme (a play on Compton and tomme, a traditional French cheese word), is a semi-soft cheese with a lovely lingering fruitiness and a great capacity for melting.

Alfred le Fermier – Alfred the farmer, in English – is named for the family patriarch. Anyone who loves cheese knows that the farmers who care for the animals are important people in the cheese-making chain, so it seems like a suitable name for this cheese. Honouring the family history, and the farming profession seems lovely for such a grounded, well-rounded cheese.

This year, Fromagerie la Station received an amazing accolade, and they must be so happy and proud. I know I am so excited for them! They won first place at the American Cheese Society annual judging. "Best in Show" means that they won in their category (Farmstead Cheeses), and then when all the category winners were judged a second time, Alfred was chosen as the overall winner, or best cheese out of 1,588 cheeses from all over North America. Kudos to the crew at Fromagerie la Station!

To top it off, this is the second year that they have won Best in Show. Last year, they won for their amazing Raclette with pink peppercorns, and then winning for Alfred this year must be something of a dream.

Many other Canadian cheese makers that entered the judging also performed well, including Stonetown Cheese, which finished third overall with their excellent cheese, Grand Trunk. The ability of Canadian dairies to enter into competition and participate in judging is thanks in no small part to Mary Anne Ferrer, a Dairy Scientist at the University of Guelph. She has worked diligently over the past five years to assist in compiling orders in Canada for shipment to the judging, and in doing so, has facilitated the participation of smaller dairies. Shipping cheese across borders is no easy undertaking, and her perseverance has resulted in a significant increase in the showing of Canadian cheese makers at the judging.

TASTING NOTE:

Alfred le Fermier is a mountain-style cheese. It has a natural rind and a smooth paste. The texture is firm yet supple, with a slightly rich mouthfeel. The taste is a bit toasty and nutty with just a hint of hay or grass at the finish. It definitely has the full flavour of a properly aged cheese, and the flavour lingers pleasantly.

I love it just on its own, but it would definitely pair well with a baguette and some stone fruit jam. Apricot jam or plum butter would be my preference. It also melts beautifully, making it a suitable substitute for Gruyère or Comté in a recipe. The flavour really comes through even when mixed with other ingredients. I can imagine it being tasty in a quiche with roasted fall vegetables.

Alfred is also an excellent cheese for wine pairing, and I think it would complement a wide range of wine styles. The slight richness in the texture and the well-rounded flavour seem ideal for white wine in my mind, but mountain-style cheeses are always my go-to as a good general wine match.

I hope you get the chance to try some of the great cheeses being made at Fromagerie la Station soon. When you do, raise a glass to the cheese maker.