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April 29th – May 1st, 2026
 
 
 
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International Cheese Competition

The International Cheese Competition made a remarkable return for its 4th edition on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, during SIAL Canada in Toronto. Held every two years, alternating with the Best Canadian Cheesemonger Competition in Montreal, this prestigious event shines a spotlight on the talent and diversity of cheese producers from around the world.

Under the esteemed leadership of cheese expert Gurth M. Pretty, a jury of 14 seasoned industry professionals evaluated 205 cheeses from 10 countries, competing across 27 categories.

Two exciting new features marked the 2025 edition:

  • The introduction of a special category for Best Canadian Cow’s Milk Cheese, presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

  • A special medal awarded by the Quebec Dairy Processors Council (CILQ) for the best farmstead artisanal cheese from Quebec, certified as “Fromage fermier”.

The winners in each category — the Category Champions — were revealed during an exclusive tasting event held at the SIAL Dairy Zone.

Discover the winners and participants of the 2025 edition now!

PRESS RELEASE 2025 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 2025


Watch the video

2025 Grand Champion

Stonetown Artisan Cheese Ltd. - "Grand Trunk" Cheese

A word from Hans Weber, director of Stonetown Artisan Cheese: “We are humbled to have been awarded a Grand Champion win two competitions in a row, this time for Grand Trunk. I am very proud of Ramon, the head cheesemaker, and the entire team for the efforts they put in daily to produce a quality product. Great cheese comes from great milk, and our farm team is very much a part of this win.”

Gurth Pretty

Master of Cheese

Jury President

“The 2025 edition of the International Cheese Competition by SIAL Canada was a great success! The 14 cheese professionals, who volunteered to be aesthetic and technical judges, tasted each of these champions, to vote by secret ballot, which cheese they as individuals, was their favourite. It was a close vote yet Grand Trunk cheese, from Ontario’s Stonetown Artisan Cheese, was selected as the Grand Champion. All of the cheese submitted were champions in my eyes. Thank you to all the cheese companies for submitting their cheese to the competition.”

The Food Professor Podcast

Listen to Gurth Pretty's testimony on the International Cheese Competition

2025 Jury

Wendy Furtenbacher
Marketing & Business Development, Cheese Educator, ACS Certified Cheese Professional
Martin Raymond
Culinary Instructor at Conestoga College
Martin Kouprie
Chef and Managing Partner, Alton Mill Arts Centre
Pieter vanOudenaren
Artisan Cheese Maker
Martin Melendez
President & Head Cheesemaker
Ramon Eberle
Co-owner and Cheese Maker
Cecilia Smith
Independent cheese consultant, Teacher at George Brown College and Conestoga College
Jeanne Rodier
Cheesemonger-Buyer-Administrator
Caroline Bédard
Cheese Technology Advisor, Quebec Cheese Expertise Centre
Heather Thelwell
Owner of SweetCheeses!
Anne Gauvreau-Sybille
Co-owner of Fromagerie Anne & Frères and Cheese Maker
Gina L. Creta
Deli Director at the Maple Leaf Gardens flagship store
Nicole Pinch
Manager, Salumi e Formaggi
Patrick Collins
Retired director of cheese sales

2025 Competition Partners

SUCCESS STORIES

Testimonial from previous winners

Discover the success stories of our previous winners of the SIAL International Cheese Competition!

Terms and conditions

Why participate?

• Boost Visibility: Feature your cheese on SIAL Canada’s website and show Mobile App, driving traffic to your booth or business and maximizing ROI.

• Gain Recognition: Compete for the prestigious titles of “Category Champion” or “Grand Champion Overall,” celebrated at a live awards ceremony in front of industry professionals and media.

• Engage Your Audience: Showcase your product during tasting workshops, offering direct interaction with visitors and experts.

• Proven Impact: Join a competition with a 98% visitor satisfaction rate, strong engagement in the dairy sector (31% visitor interest in 2023), and newsletters boasting a 45% open rate.

Prizes to win

• Medals and Titles: Earn a physical and digital medal to promote your success.

• Global Exposure: Gain visibility through press releases shared with media outlets and across SIAL Canada’s website (515,500 visitors), social media (21,800+ followers), and newsletters (21,800+ subscribers).

• Media Features: The Grand Champion Overall will be spotlighted in interviews with global partner, including: Culture Cheese Mag (US) and The Food Professor podcast hosted by SIAL during the show (Canada), Cheese and Dairy Product Show 2026 newsletter (Europe).

• On-Site Highlights: Your award-winning cheese will be featured during tasting workshops for show visitors.

Qualification criterias

• May be a product already available in the retail or food service sector or new to the market.
• Must be made with milk, without the addition of modified milk ingredients:
cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, or a mixture.
• Each cheese can only be submitted in one category, except Artisanal and New Cheeses in North America, eligible for special awards.
• Must be labeled as cheese and not as a processed cheese food product.

• Cheese to be submitted for judging (minimum of 5lbs to be sent)
– Wheel or
– Block of 5 lbs or more
– Small format cheese: 1 case/box

• No core samples/plugs to be taken from the submitted cheese.
• No alteration allowed.
• Judges may reassign cheeses to another category.
• Late, damaged, or non-compliant cheeses will be disqualified without refund.
• Products must arrive on time, customs cleared, and properly shipped.

Cheese categories

*A category must have a minimum of 3 eligible cheeses for the category to be judged.

  1. Fresh cheese Cow (i.e. Mozzarella, Queso fresco, Ricotta)
  2. Fresh cheese all milk (i.e Chèvre, Buffalo…)
  3. Soft, bloomy rind cheese (i.e. Brie)
  4. Washed rind cheese (i.e. Port-Salut)
  5. Mixed rind cheese (i.e. La Sauvagine)
  6. Cheddar Cheese aged 3 to 6 months
  7. Cheddar Cheese aged 6 to 12 months
  8. Cheddar Cheese aged 12 to 24 months
  9. Cheddar Cheese aged more than 24 months
  10. Cheddar Cheese Bandaged
  11. Gouda aged 3 to 6 months
  12. Gouda aged 6 to 12 months
  13. Gouda aged more than 12 months
  14. Swiss style
  15. Cheese in brine (i.e. Feta)
  16. Smoked cheese
  17. Cheese with added physical particulates (herbs, spices…)
  18. Cheese with added non-physical particulates (beer, cider, wine…)
  19. Semi-soft cheese
  20. Firm cheese (i.e Havarti)
  21. Hard cheese (i.e. Parmigiano-Reggiano)
  22. Blue cheese with veinage present
  23. Grilling cheese raclette
  24. Grilling cheese middle eastern style
  25. Ash-coated cheese
  26. Cheese with low fat content
  27. Artisanal farmstead cheese (certification proving that only milk from their farm is used)
  28. New cheese – not yet available in the North American market
2025 rates

Early Bird Pricing (valid until February 21, 2025)

  • 65$ CAD +tx per cheese submitted for companies exhibiting at the show
  • 130$ CAD +tx per cheese submitted for non-exhibiting companies

Regular Pricing (February 22 to April 2, 2025)

  • 95$ CAD +tx per cheese submitted for companies exhibiting at the show
  • 160$ CAD +tx per cheese submitted for non-exhibiting companies

The deadline to apply for the competition is April 4, 2025

Prepare your shipment

Product Format:

  • Submit full wheels, blocks (5 lbs or more), or small-format cases (one box).

Labeled as cheese (not processed cheese).

  • No core samples/plugs to be taken from the submitted cheese.
  • No alteration allowed.
  • Labels:
  • Clearly specify the category for each cheese in the parcel.
  • Include the original national brand label with ingredient and nutritional information.
  • If a label is printed directly on a cheese wheel, remove it carefully (e.g., by scraping) without damaging the rind, ensuring no branding is visible.
  • Packaging and Temperature:
  • Ensure cheeses are securely packaged to prevent damage during transit.
  • Products must arrive at the appropriate temperature to be eligible for judging.
  • Dates of reception:
    From April 14th to 25th, 2025 (Monday to Friday, 10 AM–5 PM EST)
    Be aware that the shop will be closed on Friday 18th of AprilAddress of the delivery docks :
    Lakeview Cheese Galore
    SIAL Canada – International Cheese Competition
    848 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga, ON, Canada L5E 1E1Custom broker information:
    For assistance with customs and shipping, contact: North American Logistics Services Inc (NALSI), M. Fernando VERA: 514-847-1791 | fvera@nalsi.com

 

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Maëlle Rey-Maréchal
Responsable marketing et Opérations spéciales
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