FireFly Farms took home three medals at the 39th American Cheese Society conference in Portland, OR, this year. The spruce-bark wrapped, creamy Merry Goat Round Spruce Reserve took second place in the “wrapped” category, while Cabra LaMancha, a mild and moist washed rind goat’s milk cheese, was named third in the washed rind goat’s milk category. Finally, Carpenter’s Wheel, the beautiful big wheel of hard goat cheese with a barn quilt label on the rind (made in collaboration with the now closed Crown Finish Caves in New York), took second place in its category.
“It’s an honor to be among such fantastic, fantastic, cheesemakers” said Pablo Solanet, FireFly’s creative director. This year, other winners included Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Jasper Hill in Vermont, Idyll Farms in Michigan, and many more. Although it’s technically a competition, winning isn’t really the point, says Pablo. “It’s more about lifting up the whole community and celebrating all the people who make artisan American cheese what it is.”
This year, Spruce Reserve (pictured below) will be available for holiday pre-order. With its smell of northern spruce forest and almost fondue-like interior, it’s one of FireFly’s cheeses that always finds a loyal following around the winter holidays, when people just want to pull a chair up to the fire, pour a mug of hot mulled wine, and spread a toasted baguette with creamy goat’s milk cheese.