We’re beyond thrilled to announce that Stepladder Creamery has earned top honors at the prestigious 2025 California State Fair Cheese Competition! This annual competition celebrates the skill, craftsmanship, and innovative spirit of California’s cheese producers. Among a competitive field of entries, our farmstead cheeses stood out for their exceptional quality and distinct flavors.

This year, Stepladder was proud to bring home multiple awards, including first-place titles and Best of California honors across several categories. These accolades are a true testament to the passion, expertise, and dedication of our team, who pour their heart into crafting exceptional cheeses. 

We submitted a range of entries, showcasing our signature lineup of cheeses, a few limited edition batches (otherwise only available for our Cheese Club members), and even some experimental recipes that pushed the boundaries of flavor and technique. 

Here's the full list of our 2025 winners:

• Bronze
  • Marinated Fromage Blanc
  • Big Baby Gouda
• Silver
  • Bixby Butterkase
  • Clothbound Goat Cheddar Reserve
• Gold
  • Cambria Clothbound Reserve
  • **Spicy Fromage Blanc**
  • Rocky Butte
  • LumberJack
  • Paso Vino Reserve
  • Ridley Run
• Double Gold (AKA perfect scores!)
  • **Chevre**
  • Umami Sea Salt Ragged Point (this is a rendition of our 2025 Burning Love!)

**These cheeses also won the coveted Best of California distinction, given to entries that were ranked best in class!**