MADISON, WIS. — The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) shared that dairy industry processors, marketers and suppliers combined to donate $354,445 during the Championship Cheese Auction at CheeseCon 2025.

The money raised during the event will support WCMA’s industry training programs, dairy-related scholarships and university innovation.

Gold medal-winning cheeses, butters and yogurts from the 2025 US Championship Cheese Contest went to winning bidders at the auction.

WCMA executive director John Umhoefer called it “a thrill” to see the dairy industry’s generosity on display.

“We're immensely grateful to all those who raised their paddles to contribute to the programs and educational opportunities that help grow and strengthen our industry,” Umhoefer said.

At the 2024 auction during CheeseExpo in Milwaukee a year ago, WCMA raised a record $423,480. The trade association said since then its board of directors guided $200,000 to three programs with a focus on the future:

• It raised student scholarships for family members of dairy processors and suppliers to $5,000 per student.

• WCMA provided a seed donation of $90,000 to help establish a new fund at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls that supports dairy operations, staff training and research at the Wuethrich Family/Grassland Dairy Center of Excellence. 

• The association invested $100,000 via seed gift to establish a fund that will support teaching, research and outreach roles at the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin.

The 2025 cheese auction at CheeseCon saw winning bids from the following companies:

A-Z Process Solutions

Actus Nutrition

ALPMA USA

APT - Advanced Process Technologies, Inc. 

Complete Filtration Resources 

Custom Fabricating & Repair 

D.R. Tech Inc.

Dahmes Stainless Inc. 

Dairy Connection

Darlington Dairy Supply

dsm-firmenich

FSNS

General Films, Inc. 

Great Lakes Cheese

Harry Davis & Company

Hydrite

Ivarson Inc.

Kelley Supply, Inc.

Loos Machine & Automation 

Masters Gallery Foods

Mohawk Technology, LLC 

Nelson-Jameson

Novonesis

ProActive Solutions USA

Sugar River Cold Storage 

T.C. Jacoby