The United States Championship Cheese Contest has been judging the best cheeses in the country since 1981, hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. For 2023, an aged Gouda named Europa from Arethusa Farm Dairy in Bantam, Connecticut has been named the champion, scoring an impressive 98.739 out of 100.

Arethusa Dairy has an award-winning reputation dating back over a decade, and describes their championship-winning Europa as having "aromas of butterscotch and toasted nuts" and a "savory, brothy flavor." Besides cheese, the farm produces a range of other dairy products including ice cream, butter, and yogurt.

A team of 42 judges awarded the crown to Europa over 2,249 other entries, and all the submissions came from almost 200 different dairies and 35 different states in America. The other winners in the competition were made up overwhelmingly of Wisconsin cheeses, bringing home 54 gold medals to the dairy-famous state.