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David Gremmels
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Oregon’s Rogue Creamery Makes History --
Beats European Cheeses for World Title
Central Point, OR (February 2004) -- At the 16th World Cheese Awards in London, the Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue made history when it was crowned the overall best blue cheese, beating out entries from all over Europe. This is the first time an American blue cheese has ever won the world title.
Barry King, executive director of the American Cheese Society, says Rogue Creamery’s accomplishments over the last year have been nothing short of remarkable.
“This blue cheese is one of the finest I’ve ever had. It’s a remarkable work of art,” says King. “What Rogue Creamery has been able to do is really miraculous. There are people who have worked in the business for 30 years who have not been able to get this kind of attention and validation for their hard work.”
At the London competition, Rogue Creamery also won the U.S. Dairy Export Council Trophy for Best American Cheese, and a gold medal in Class 19A Blue Vein Cheese made outside the United Kingdom.
“This is an amazing accomplishment. It is a tremendous honor to win this coveted award,” says David Gremmels, co-owner of Rogue Creamery. “We fell in love with this business and our approach has been to focus on a few cheeses that we feel can be extraordinary.”
Without any prior experience in cheese making, Gremmels and Cary Bryant bought the creamery 18 months ago on a handshake from Ignazio Vella, often referred to at “The Godfather of Artisan Cheese.” Ig’s father started the business in 1935. Since taking over in 2002, Gremmels and Bryant have won nine medals and two trophies.
This year’s prestigious competition in London was the largest ever, drawing over 1,100 entries from Europe, Oceania, North America and South Africa. Each entry is judged blindly and scored against industry standards including taste, texture, and aroma. The winning cheese, Rogue River Blue, is based on the original recipe the creamery’s founder brought back from Roquefort, France. It is wrapped in grape leaves macerated with brandy made from locally picked pears. The cheese is aged for over a year in caves to develop a highly unusual blue that is like nothing else on the market today.
King says it’s very rare for an American cheese to win a European contest. Gremmels and Bryant attribute their success to hard work and a laser focus on quality. While neither came to the business with experience in cheese making, Bryant brought a background in microbiology and Gremmels international award winning design and marketing abilities. Together they have worked around the clock to breathe new life into the creamery.
“To create Rogue River Blue, we took the original Oregon Blue Vein recipe developed in 1957 and, under the mentorship of Ig, allowed the cheese to go into full bloom,” says Gremmels. “We actually discovered Rogue River Blue by accident. Because of the mold it was a presentation problem for us so, at the suggestion of Judy Shad of Capriole Farms, we experimented with wrapping the cheese in grape leaves and pear brandy and, to our surprise, it enhanced the flavor. Now it has become a signature cheese for us.”
Their facility is located in Central Point, Oregon, an area revered for its lush hillsides and dense forests. Quality of life is a mainstay of this pristine region, known for its historic pear orchards, the Wild and Scenic Rogue River, locally produced award winning wines, and the world renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Residents of the Rogue Valley have responded with great enthusiasm to the Rogue Creamery’s resurgence, increasing sales and attending events such as October’s Italian Harvest held at the facility. Umpqua Dairy farmers as well as wine makers and growers have also embraced the efforts of the creamery’s owners over the last 18 months.
Rogue Creamery cheeses are featured in Murray’s Cheese Shop, the Artisanal Cheese Center, and Whole Foods.
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