At this year’s World Cheese Awards competition, Sirana Gligora (Gligora Cheese Factory), from Pag island was given a total of 8 medals!
The competition was held in Bergamo in Italy, and a record-setting 3,804 competed for the awards. In such a respectable competition, the Croatian cheesemaker was able to get 4 gold medals, 2 silvers and 2 bronze medals. Gold medals were awarded to Pag Cheese, Likotin affinated in maraska cherries, Kolan affinated in olives and Cow ashes cheese. The silvers and bronzes went to the mustard cheese, Žigljen and Liburjan cheeses.
This is the most medals won by a Croatian cheese factory at this year’s WCA.
Šime Gligora, the owner of the factory, said that this serves as a confirmation of the continuing excellence of the protected cheese from Pag. Last year, at the same competition, they received a Supergold award, and this year at the Great Taste Awards in London they received the highest possible three stars.
He added that they are very happy that their affinated cheeses, such as sheep’s Likotin affinated in maraska cherry keep getting the highest awards. That is also an additional incentive to continue making and improving them.
Two months ago, they affinated the cheese in maraska cherry, and currently, the process is being performed with the wine and olives. Such methods and techniques in cheese-making are quite unknown in Croatia, so awards like these help make those unique and innovative products more recognisable to the Croatian consumers. He highlighted their completely new product, cheese with mustard, which hasn’t even hit the shelves in Croatian stores, which was also given a silver medal at this event.
The Gligora cheese factory wants its customers to know that they will continue making the highest-quality cheeses and that they’re hoping to keep winning awards at upcoming cheese and food competitions. They’ve recently opened their delis in Zagreb, more specifically in the Arena and Cvjetni shopping malls, and they’re currently finalising the preparations for the opening of their new “Cheese & Deli” store in the centre of Split.
