Dedicated only to cheese, with no other dairy products judged, the World Cheese Awards will take place in Italy for the first time on Friday, October 18 as part of the FORME cheese festival in Bergamo, which runs from October 17-20.
More than 3,500 entries are expected in Lombardy this year, from more than 40 different countries in six continents.
As the fourth edition of FORME plays host to the awards, more than 40,000 visitors will be in a position to witness the World Cheese Awards, with a free exhibition of previous World Champion Cheeses and tickets available to witness the judging unfold live and to join tasting tours over the weekend.
FORME will also feature a consumer cheese festival and the brand new international dairy trade show, B2Cheese, which the World Cheese Awards says provides the perfect setting for the cheese community to network, taste and debate, as connections are made and business gets done.
John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the awards, said, “We’re enormously excited to be visiting Italy for the first time this October, joining forces with FORME to stage the biggest event in this year’s global cheese calendar.
“The World Cheese Awards grows in scale and reach year-on-year, but we never lose sight of what it’s all about – celebrating the work of small artisan cheesemakers – so we’re hoping for more entries from more countries than ever before in 2019.
“The Lombardy region has undoubted cheesemaking credentials and I can’t think of a better setting for the cheese world to gather once again, as we applaud cheesemaking excellence and shine a spotlight on the region’s Cheese Valleys during Bergamo’s time as a UNESCO Creative Cities candidate.”
The World Cheese Awards will be open for entry from Monday, July 22 until Monday, September 9, unless the entry cap is reached before this date. Producers can enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.