Pictured left to right: Dr. Samir Kalit; WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer; Steve Stettler of Decatur Dairy; and Dan Stearns of Agropur (retired).
Global cheese leaders received honors at the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest this week, including two Wisconsinites.
Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association conferred the Aschebrock Award on expert judge Dr. Samir Kalit of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, for excellence in cheese evaluation. Contest volunteers Steve Stettler of Decatur Dairy and Dan Stearns of Agropur (retired) earned the Eggebrecht Award for dedication to the execution of the Championship Cheese Contests on March 4.
On April 16, the Kolroser family of Vienna, Austria, will receive the Schlinsog Award for their outstanding contributions to decades of World Championship Cheese Contests.
“Our enthusiastic and devoted judges, volunteers, and global partners are an essential part of our Championship Cheese Contests,” says Contest Director Kirsten Strohmenger. “Their commitment to growing these events and shepherding them to continued success year after year is truly remarkable.”
The Eggebrecht Award: Steve Stettler
The Eggebrecht Award is named for the late Contest Committee Chairman and “B-Team” founder Brian Eggebrecht.
Steve Stettler, a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certified in six varieties, has volunteered at the World Championship Cheese Contest for 26 consecutive years. He earned the WCMA Life Member Award in 2016, the organization’s highest distinction. As owner of Decatur Dairy in Brodhead, Wisconsin, Stettler developed numerous cheeses, including his signature Stettler Swiss, a sweet, creamy, lacy interpretation of the classic Alpine style.
A frequent judge at Switzerland’s national cheese competitions, Stettler plays a critical role in overseeing the care and logistics of the World Championship Cheese Contest’s Alpine cheese classes. The Stettler family’s contributions span generations, beginning with Glennette “George” Stettler’s decades of leadership in score tabulation and continuing today through the volunteer leadership of Steve and Glennette’s daughters, Shaya Guilbault and Sierra Stettler.
The Eggebrecht Award: Dan Stearns
Dan Stearns, also a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, celebrates his 25th year volunteering at the World Championship Cheese Contest in 2026.
Stearns received WCMA’s Vanguard Award in 2022, recognizing national leaders in cheese manufacturing innovation. His commitment to the dairy industry spans 45 years, including a distinguished career as an aged cheddar expert at Agropur’s Weyauwega, Wisconsin plant before retiring in 2022. He earned his Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification in cheddar in 2000, and his cheeses have garnered dozens of honors at both the U.S. and World Championship Cheese Contests. Today, he brings that same award-winning expertise and steady leadership to his work on the B-Team.
