At the awards ceremony of the Dutch National Cheese Selection Competition (NNKC) on Oct. 6, Sjoerd Hiemstra, process technologist at CONO Kaasmakers, was presented with the Golden Cheese Drill. There were 250 points to score. With 236 points, he can call himself the best cheese connoisseur in the Netherlands.

In the past, Hiemstra was once allowed to receive silver and last year he was given an honorable mention as Top Cheese Judge. That he has now won the Golden Cheese Drill still feels surreal: "Of course you hope so, but I didn't expect it."

The judging
On September 26 and 27, 2022, some 600 cheese professionals looked, smelled, felt and tasted a specially selected assortment of Dutch cheese. The winner of the Golden Cheese Drill is the one who was able to distinguish the very best type, stage of maturation, taste and quality. Whether he also tasted a CONO cheese during the judging? "Absolutely," says Hiemstra. I just recognize the taste of our cheeses. I think it was Beemster Royaal."

In addition to several medals in the past, CONO won the Golden Cheese Drill for the first time in 2018. "The fact that the trophy cabinet is now being supplemented with a second drill is fantastic," said General Director Wim Betten. "Just recently CONO won the award for tastiest cheese in the Netherlands with 't Kaas Lokaal. The fact that we now also have the best cheese connoisseur in house makes me particularly proud. Sjoerd is a true professional. He has had a long career in cheese. I grant him this award with all my heart".

A winner of the Golden Cheese Drill, Hiemstra will be delegated as a judge to international cheese competitions in the United Kingdom and Spain.