In what may be considered the Kentucky Derby of cheese competitions, OU kosher-certified cheese manufactured by Bluegrass Dairy & Food/Glasgow Division of Glasgow and Springfield, KY recently won first place gold in all three classes at the Kentucky State Fair for its Natural Cheddar (Wilderness Trails brand) and its Natural Gouda (Bluegrass Dairy & Food brand).
And to prove that Bluegrass thrives far from its old Kentucky home, its Colby (Bluegrass Dairy & Food brand) took third place at the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association 2008 World Cheese Championship.
The company’s OU-certified Natural Cheddar (Wilderness Trails brand) also achieved first place at the 2007 Tennessee State Fair and was recognized as the best dairy product at the competition – honors which Bluegrass expects to be awarded again at the 2008 Fair this month.
Bluegrass Dairy & Food is a manufacturer of OU-certified cheese and cheese powders, as well as hundreds of dairy and non-dairy specialty powders of all types, including maltodextrin, honey, molasses, yeast, flavors, emulsifiers, shortenings, sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt and creamers. The company is also a full-service dairy, featuring butter and all fluid dairy products, and it processes OU-certified Cholov Yisroel (special rabbinically-supervised) liquid and powdered milk upon request, including Cholov Yisroel whole milk powder for the confectionary industry. Kosher for Passover milk and cheese products are also manufactured.
Currently, Bluegrass provides the dairy and snack industries with the following OU-certified kosher natural (organic and regular) cheeses and cheese powders: Cheddar, Colby, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster and Parmesan.
“Working with Bluegrass Dairy & Food is always exciting,” remarked Rabbi Andrew Gordimer, OU Rabbinic Coordinator (account executive) for Bluegrass. “The company’s full-time OU coverage enables it to produce almost anything as kosher, and all types of new cheeses and various projects are developed and introduced on a constant basis. The flexibility of Bluegrass’ infrastructure and staff is amazing, and the company’s commitment to break ground and establish top-quality product in so many areas, while maintaining the highest of kosher standards, has made it a rising and shining star in the kosher and general food industries.”
Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing noted, “It is gratifying to watch Bluegrass Dairy & Food grow and develop into a much sought-after producer of so many industrial dairy products and now to equally excel in the production of these fine Natural Cheddar and Natural Gouda cheeses. Undoubtedly Bluegrass production capacities and know-how, coupled with the Orthodox Union’s meticulous and professional guidance, has won honors and recognition for this great Kentucky company.”
Rabbi Yosef Capland, who is the Orthodox Union’s rabbinic field representative at the plant and who is deeply involved in the production of the prize-winning cheeses, declared, “Working at Bluegrass has been a wonderful experience. Being part of a winning team, which has risen to such heights with its prestigious and popular kosher products, demonstrates the effectiveness of the OU program and its appeal. Coming to work at the Glasgow facility, with the complexity of the plant and the kosher-sensitivity of its products, is something I enthusiastically enjoy and look forward to every day. The Bluegrass staff’s clear and total commitment to kosher compliance in all ways makes it such a pleasure.”