Cheese factory's latest honor was 'most special'

Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory has won a number of awards over the years, but a recent one held a lot of significance to its owner.

The company’s Ithaki feta cheese earned third-place during the recent World Championship Cheese Contest in Milwaukee, with a score of 99.595.

Owner Charles Krause, who has a picture of himself holding the plaque, only half-joked last week it was the only time he’d worn a suit and tie.

“This one was the most special award in my life,” Krause said. “I’m pretty damned proud of it, and we’ve been doing this for 27 years.”

The honor was mentioned during a Tucumcari City Commission meeting earlier this month.

Krause indicated he might go for the grand prize during the next edition of the contest in 2024.

“We didn’t miss it by much,” he said.

The Odyssey feta cheese from Klondike Cheese Co. of Monroe, Wisconsin, won the world championship with a score of 99.77. The Apetina feta from Arla Foods Krusa of Denmark finished runner-up with a score of 99.6.

Krause, a fourth-generation cheesemaker from Wisconsin, founded Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory in 1995 in an old Coca-Cola plant.

Feta is the flagship cheese at Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory, and it is sold in New Mexico and around the country. Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory also makes 11 other cheeses.