Stonetown Cheese calls Royal Agricultural Winter Fair wins ‘A nice wrap-up to the year’

Stonetown Artisan Cheese has once again earned awards for a variety of their cheeses at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

By Galen Simmons

Stonetown Artisan Cheese has once again earned awards for a variety of their cheeses at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Stonetown Cheese earned first place for its Wildwood cheese in the firm and hard, surface ripened, brushed and natural rind category. Stonetown also won second- and third-place awards for Grand Trunk and Wildwood Reserve, respectively, in the same category.

Wildwood also earned the Grand Champion, variety cheese, cow’s milk honour. This is the second year in a row Wildwood won Grand Champion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

The local producer’s Farmstead Fontina also won first place for a second consecutive year in the semi-soft cheese, interior ripened category, with Homecoming earning second place in semi-soft cheese, surface ripened.

Ramon Eberle, cheesemaker, called the wins “a nice way to wrap up the year” and said the awards speak to the quality of the cheeses and the hard work put in by everyone on the Stonetown Cheese team.

“We had a great year last year in 2025 and we seem to always do well at the Royal. We had the Grand Champion at the Royal and repeated that again this year,” said Eberle.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs until Nov. 15 at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, also promotes the cheeses. For two weeks, the fair has a Champion Showcase where visitors can sample prize-winning cheeses. Producers can also sell their cheeses at the fair.

Stonetown Artisan Cheese is preparing for a busy Christmas season, which includes putting together popular gift baskets, boxes and 12 Days of Cheesemas Advent Calendars.

To learn more and to purchase Stonetown Cheese products online, visit stonetowncheese.com.