They Came, They Rolled, They Conquered

Thousands of Cheese Lovers Flock to Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival

MONTREAL, Aug. 14 /CNW/ - Today 200 enthusiastic cheese loving competitors spent the afternoon chasing a giant wheel of Canadian cheese down Blackcomb Mountain during Dairy Farmers of Canada's Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. The two Grand Champions each went home with an 11-pound wheel of Canadian cheese and a Whistler season's ski pass for two.

The male Grand Champion, Aaron Heinzen of Seattle, Washington won the men's race in a time of eight seconds and the female Grand Champion, Janine Pharo of New Zealand won the women's race in a time of 10 seconds. In addition to the men's and women's races, 113 children participated in uphill races.

"This festival definitely attracts bold and adventurous Canadian cheese lovers. The number of people participating in the races, attending the festival and sampling some of Canada's great cheeses were beyond our wildest expectations," said Solange Heiss, assistant director, marketing and nutrition communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Dairy Farmers of Canada is proud to sponsor the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival and to put the spotlight on the high quality cheese produced in this country from coast to coast."

In addition to the races, more than 10,000 spectators took in a host of other fun activities including cheese Twister, cheese bowling, cheese seminars and a Farmers Market full of delicious samples of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian milk.

Renowned Canadian comic and award-winning host, Jebb Fink, hosted the days' festivities, which involved nine race heats before the final Grand Championship races at 4:00 p.m. PDT.

For the third consecutive year, Canadian cheesemaker Natural Pastures produced the special 11-pound wheels of delicious Cracked Pepper Verdelait cheese that were the centre pieces of the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival.

Visit www.canadiancheeserolling.ca for race results from the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. High resolution photos and video footage from the event can also be downloaded through the web site's newsroom as of August 15, 2010 at noon EST.

About Canadian Cheese

Cheese is a staple food in the Canadian diet, with 98 per cent of Canadians eating cheese regularly. The cheesemaking industry is one of Canada's oldest, dating back nearly as far as the fur trade. There are over 200 cheesemakers in Canada who make more than 150 varieties of cheese.

About Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) strives to create favourable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. DFC works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy producers and to promote quality Canadian dairy products made from 100% Canadian milk as part of a healthy balanced diet. DFC is completely funded by dairy producers.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: or to arrange an interview with a Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival spokesperson, please contact: Solange Heiss, Assistant Director, Marketing & Nutrition Communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Office: [phone] ext: 233, Cell: [phone], [email protected]