Coming Soon: Best Cheese of the Americas

By Gordon Edgar –

This article is a little risky. I am breaking my rule to never talk about cheese until it’s actually here; physically in our cooler. But we are so excited to finally get the winners of the last two American Cheese Society competitions for the first time that I just can’t wait.

These two cheeses are from a Canadian company that has not previously exported to the United States. The company makes some of the best cheeses in the world. Consistent with their Quebecois roots, Fromagerie La Station makes French-style cheeses and they make them better than anyone else on this continent, at least according to a group of 30 judges empaneled to make that decision. Check out Fromagerie La Station online at:
https://fromagerielastation.com/en/

The American Cheese Society, an organization that has supported cheesemaking in the Americas for over forty years, holds a judging and competition every year where cheeses are evaluated for technical and aesthetic qualities by qualified cheese professionals and dairy scientists. No cheesemaker has ever won twice in a row until this year. Since Fromagerie La Station did it with two different cheeses—beating 1500 competitors each time—you know they must be amazing cheesemakers.

I did get to sample both winners during the Meet the Maker event at this year’s conference. They are both due into the store this month.

Raclette de Compton au Poivre won the 2024 Best in Show. This is one of the best raclettes I have ever tried, beating most of the large-production French and Swiss ones by a mile. Raclette is meant to be melted and it smells so good when you heat it up. The center is lined with pink peppercorns, which give you a spicy bite along with the joy of rich oozy butterfat. I want it on some roasted potatoes right now just thinking about it.

Also, I was a judge in 2024. The winner was a secret until announced a month later so none of knew who won. We were allowed to take cheese after the judging, so I grabbed a 4 lb. piece of this and gave it to a friend in Minneapolis before I flew back home. She made the best grilled cheese ever for her kid.

Alfred la Fermier (Alfred the Farmer) was the 2025 Best in Show winner, and is another amazing little washed rind beauty. Named after the owner’s farming ancestor, it pays homage to La Station’s commitment to being an organic farmstead cheesemaker. It has deep, nutty, fruity, grassy flavors and a long-lasting aftertaste. While this will also be an amazing melter, I would happily serve it on a cheese plate.

Send us an email (cheese@rainbow.coop) if you want to be on the list to contact when these cheeses come in. It should be soon!

Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker co-ops and has been combining these infatuations as the cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. He serves on the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition Committee and is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Edgar has written two books on cheese—”Cheesemonger” (2010) and “Cheddar” (2015)—and lives in San Francisco with his adorable white mini schnauzer named Fillmore Grumble. He writes about grief, and sometimes cheese, at https://bit.ly/42IwYf0

Over the Rainbow Cheese Counter
Published on September 11, 2025