2026 Winter Fancy Faire Announces Sofi™ Gold Winners: Cheese Category Highlights
2026 Winter Fancy Faire Announces Sofi™ Gold Winners: Cheese Category Highlights
The Specialty Food Association kicked off Winter FancyFaire* 2026 with the reveal of this year’s sofi™ Gold Award winners. Seventy-five products earned top honors, highlighting the makers pushing flavor, craftsmanship, and better-for-you indulgence forward.
The live ceremony, hosted by chef and TV personality Joe Sasto, brought together buyers, makers, media, and curious food pros for a mix of networking, cheers, and whispered “you have to try this” moments—only possible when the country’s most inventive snacks, beverages, and cheeses share the spotlight.
A Snapshot of Where the Market’s Headed
Blind tastings by retail and foodservice experts narrowed more than 1,200 entries to this year’s Gold winners. The picks showcase bolder flavors, thoughtful sourcing, and packaging that tells a story. Across 25 categories, innovation ran wide—from reimagined classics to fresh formats—offering a taste of what’s next on specialty shelves.
The Cheese Category Shines—Here Are the 3 Gold Standouts
Let’s talk cheese. This year’s trio of Gold Award winners in the cheese category reads like a love letter to aging rooms, careful milk sourcing, and makers who truly know their craft. Here’s who claimed the spotlight:
Dutch Cheese Makers Corp. — Artikaas Vintage Lot 36 Month Aged Gouda
Three years in the cave does wonders, apparently. Artikaas Vintage Lot 36 shows off the kind of deep flavor only patience can produce—think butterscotch, a hint of whiskey warmth, and toasted pecan. The interior is strikingly ocher, firm and crumbly but still creamy on the palate, and speckled with those coveted crunchy crystals that make cheese nerds weak in the knees. It’s a statement Gouda that proves maturity has its perks.
Marieke Gouda — Marieke Gouda Reserve Gouda Aged 1000+ Days
From Thorp, Wisconsin comes a farmstead masterpiece that clocks in at over 1,000 days of aging. Cheesemaker Marieke Penterman has a loyal following for a reason, and this Reserve Gouda shows why: rich, caramelly depth with nutty undertones and naturally formed tyrosine crunch. It’s the kind of cheese that plays well with dried fruits, nuts, and a chilled Chardonnay—but it doesn’t exactly need a supporting cast. Consider it the connoisseur’s crowd-pleaser.
Vermont Creamery — Bijou
Inspired by French tradition, perfected in Vermont. Bijou is a hand-shaped little button of goat cheese with a dense, fudgy center and a wrinkled Geotrichum rind. Give it a bit of time and it evolves—sharper, more complex, more intriguing by day thirty. It’s brilliant on a cheese board, baked on toast, or paired with honey when you’re feeling fancy. A small format cheese with big personality.
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