{{Short description|Norwegian cheesemaker}} thumb|Tingvollost Kraftkar (upper right), with Edel Bla another cheese, upper left. '''Tingvollost''' (established in 2003) is a Norwegian cheesemaker in Tingvoll Municipality, making blue cheese and white mold cheeses from cow's milk. Annual production in 2014 was 21 tons of cheese based on 200 000 liters milk.
Perhaps best known is the '''Kraftkar''' blue cheese that became World Champion in ''World Cheese Awards'' 2016.<ref name="elmundo"/><ref name="Opheim 2016">{{cite web | last=Opheim | first=Aagot | title=Tingvollost er verdensmester i ost | website=adressa.no | date=November 16, 2016 | url=http://www.adressa.no/nyheter/moreromsdal/2016/11/16/Tingvollost-er-verdensmester-i-ost-13800270.ece | language=no | accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref> It first won the national championship in 2009 as well as medaled in the Nordic Cheese Competition in Denmark.<ref>''Småskala i stor stil'' in the Nationen newspaper, July 18, 2014.</ref> It won gold in ''World Cheese Awards'' 2011, in which year they also brought home the national and nordic gold. The next year they again won Nordic, beating the ''Svedjan'' and ''Kastrup''.<ref>''Ny heder til Tingvollost'' in the Tidens Krav newspaper, July 1, 2013.</ref> In 2013 the '''Vismann''' took silver (a milder version of Kraftkar).<ref>''Julekaker gir det masse sexlyst'' in Nationen, November 18, 2014.</ref> During ''World Cheese Awards'' 2014 in London, they won bronze with the '''Edel frue''' (soft white) and '''Mild mester''' (semi-hard white).<ref>''[http://www.aperitif.no/artikler/her-lages-verdens-beste-ost/192293 Her lages verdens beste ost]'' in the Aperitif.no web magazine, last accessed November 17, 2016.</ref> Mild Mester was in 2015 made a "Super Gold" and among 62 cheeses nominated to win ''World Cheese Awards'' 2015 in Birmingham, Edel frue and Vismann, taking bronze, while Kraftkar won silver.
Kraftkar was elected as World Champion in ''World Cheese Awards'' 2016, held in San Sebastián, competing with 3,021 cheeses from 31 countries.<ref name="elmundo">[http://www.elmundo.es/vida-sana/2016/11/16/582cc065e5fdea03028b465d.html Kraftkar, un queso azul noruego, mejor del mundo en los World Cheese Awards ], from elmundo.es last accessed in November 17, 2016</ref>
==Background== It was founded in 2003 by the Waagen family in conjunction with the ''Saghaug Gård'', a farm dating from the 1300s.<ref>[http://www.hanen.no/bedrift/166 Tingvollost - HANEN.no], a company website, last accessed on November 17, 2016.</ref> Production manager Egil Smith-Meyer, chief executive officer is Kristin Waagen, daughter of farmer Gunnar Waagen and senior cheese maker Solvår Waagen who describes production as handmade (no machinery).
The startup was partially due to minister of agriculture Lars Sponheim in 2003 allowing milk farmers to make cheese from their own milk (not from the TINE quota).<ref>''Bittesmå verdensmestere'' in the Nationen newspaper, April 28, 2012.</ref>
==See also== * List of cheesemakers * World Cheese Awards
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Cheesemakers Category:Dairy products companies of Norway Category:Tingvoll Municipality Category:Food and drink companies established in 2003 Category:Norwegian companies established in 2003