Switzerland triumphs in the most important competition in the global dairy sector, the World Cheese Award, now the 37th edition of the award. The competition took place for the first time in the Swiss country, in Bern, from 13 to 15 November 2025: over 5,200 cheeses from 46 countries competed to win the most coveted title. The overall winner is the Gruyère AOP Vorderfultigen Spezial, aged 18 months and produced by the Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen dairy.
A cheese with unique characteristics
The international jury awarded this cheese for its truly unique characteristics which made it stand out from the competition. Experts praised its crystalline consistency and umami flavor, qualities that made the difference in a tight competition. This is the sixth time in the history of the World Cheese Awards that a Le Gruyère AOP has obtained the top recognition.
View this post on Instagram
The complete podium
The complete podium sees in second place Crémeux des Aldudes aux Fleurs, a French cheese decorated with flowers and produced by Etxaldia, which lost by just one point. The bronze medal went to another Swiss cheese, the Appenzeller Edel-Würzig aged for 9 months and made by Käserei Ifang.
Record numbers for the 2025 edition
The competition took place this year for the first time in Switzerland, as part of the celebrations that transformed Bern into the “Cheese Capital”. The 2025 edition recorded record numbers, with 5,244 cheeses competing, 9.13% more than the previous year. Fun fact: Among the participants, almost a fifth came from Switzerland, the host country.
The blind evaluation method
The selection process involved 265 judges from different countries, who worked divided into teams. The evaluation was carried out blind: each cheese was examined after removing packaging and identifying marks. Judges had to consider appearance, aroma, texture, flavor and mouthfeel before awarding awards.
The cheeses received bronze, silver and gold medals, but only those awarded Super Gold advanced to the final round. A Super Jury made up of 14 international experts then evaluated the best candidates to decide the 14 finalists and finally the overall winner.
A competition with a global scope
The final ranking demonstrates the global dimension of the competition. Among the 14 finalist cheeses appear products from Japan, Slovakia, the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as various French and Swiss excellences. This variety testifies to the richness of dairy traditions in the world.
John Farrand, chief executive of the Guild of Fine Food, the organization coordinating the event, highlighted the importance of the judging method. He explained that the winner was chosen through a particularly rigorous blind judging process, achieving the highest score thanks to judges from 14 different countries.
The atmosphere of competition
The atmosphere during the race days was intense. The judges worked in a designated area, where journalists and onlookers could observe but not touch or taste the cheeses. The smell that pervaded the room was described as overwhelming, with thousands of cheeses of all types gathered in the same space.
Italian participation
For Italy the competition brought mixed results. Our country participated with almost 200 cheeses through the Parmigiano Reggiano and National Italian Cheese delegations, receiving general praise but without managing to enter the top 10.
Next year’s World Cheese Awards will be held in Córdoba, Spain, where new cheesemakers will have the opportunity to compete for the industry’s most prestigious title.
