You Can Buy the World’s Best Cheddar Cheese at Target

Nathan Hutsenpiller
·2 min read
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Cheese aficionados rejoice because the world's best cheddar cheese just might be available for purchase at a Target location near you. The World Champion Cheese Contest recently took place in Madison, Wisconsin, a 50 year old tradition that places dairy producers and cheese experts from around the world against each other in a celebration of all things cheese. After an eventful 2024 edition—which also included the likes of butter and yogurt—we now have a new cheddar cheese champion that's more accessible than you could have imagined.

Winning Best of Class with a 99.85 rating out of 100, Tillamook took the crown in the Sharp Cheddar category this year, beating out a slew of excellent contenders including Cabot and Joseph Farms Cheese. In fact, Tillamook is actually one of the most accessible cheeses out there, as it is sold in most national retailers including both Walmart and Target. Priced conveniently $4.99 for an 8-ounce block, it is quite impressive that the sharp cheddar category winner would be none other than a readily available, every day block of cheese.

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The farmer-owned, Oregon-based co-op ended up taking home multiple awards this year, including a second place finish in Sharp Cheddar with yet another in-house variety. Tillamook also took home second place in both the Smoked Hard Cheeses—with their Hickory Smoked Cheddar—and Cream Cheese with Tillamook Brick Cream Cheese.

Other notable finishes in this year's contest included Ina Garten's favorite butter brand, Cabot Creamery's Extra Creamy Butter, and an old familiar fan-favorite which took Best of Class in cream cheese: Philadelphia.

While Tillamook continues to produce loads of award-winning cheeses, it’s nice to know that any of us can sample these high quality cheeses by simply heading to our local supermarket. We may not have been present at the World Championship, but we can certainly have a tasting party and see what all the fuss is about.

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