Rogue River Blue Named Best Cheese in the World

Rogue Creamery, which took the top prize at the World Cheese Awards with its Rogue River Blue produced in Oregon, has seen sales and interest jump.

Norway won last year. Britain won the year before that. But it was a blue cheese from the United States that recently won the top prize at this year’s World Cheese Awards.

It was a first for an American cheese in the awards’ 32-year history. Rogue Creamery, which won for its Rogue River Blue produced in Central Point, Ore., beat out a field of 3,800 cheeses from 42 countries. But while the accolade is impressive, sales since the awards were judged on Oct. 18 are an even bigger reward.

David Gremmels, president of Rogue Creamery who is also known as “Mr. Blue,” said web traffic and sales were up 500 percent since the award was announced. Foreign sellers, like Neal’s Yard Dairy and La Fromagerie in London, have increased orders too. And Rogue Creamery has seen new orders from cheese sellers in Spain and the Netherlands.

*Reported by The New York Times