Just over a decade ago, a recently retired Kazuhiko Ochiai found he had some spare time on his hands. A former livestock researcher, Ochiai thought to try his hand at cheese-making. Fast forward to October 2019 and he¡¯s shot into the international spotlight ¡ª with a score of 82 points, his Brown Swiss cow¡¯s milk Mori no Cheese took a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards, ranking 10th best in the world.
¡°I was really surprised and happy,¡± says Ochiai, the president of Nasu no Mori cheese factory in Tochigi Prefecture. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think I would receive something like that.¡±
Given Japan isn¡¯t known for its dairy, ¡°Japanese cheese¡± might sound like an oxymoron. Yet its market is maturing quickly: After the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement came into effect last February, Japan was added to the list of countries permitted to export cheese to the EU. The country¡¯s subsequent premiere at the World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy, was a success: Of the more than 40 entries from Japan, 15 took home prizes.
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