Agri-Expo wants to thank the 27 000 cheese lovers that made their way to Bien Donn� over the weekend of 27 � 30 April 2007. 

Not even the Cape weather could break this year�s SA Cheese Festival spirit. The festival provided a relaxed gourmet experience to one and all despite a high influx of visitors.

The weekend�s success can be attributed largely to the improved grounds lay-out as well as only allowing entrance to individuals who bought tickets beforehand during the times when the gates were closed on Saturday and Sunday.

This year�s festival was also the biggest in terms of the number of exhibitors and product diversity. The altogether 175 exhibitors used more than 400 cheeses, wine, olives, freshly-baked breads and even chocolate to seduce the senses.

Amongst the exhibitors were international traders who boasted imported French and Dutch produce.

It was once again remarkable to notice the overall high standard of products as well as exhibitions at the festival. Fairview walked away with the top honours as the national cheesery with the most impressive exhibit. First prize also went to Dalewood Fromage for the finest boutique cheesery stand and to SA Guernsey for the best stand in the Milk Factory.

The prize for the best display in the Gourmet Lane went to Marc�s Mediterranean Cuisine and Avondale while Domein Doornkraal and Pesto Princess and Verlaque Foods were respectively crowned as best Wine stall and best Related Product stall.

A much talked about subject was the state of the access roads to the festival venue. Agri-Expo, as organizer, was not permitted to grade these roads as they were the responsibility of the Drakenstein Regional Council. With the rains over the weekend and the heavy traffic, visitors and exhibitors battled to keep their vehicles in tact on the resulting poor state of the road surface. Complaints will be brought under the attention of the Regional Council, as a repetition of a situation like this is really not good for tourism in the Western Cape.

Cheese lovers who missed this year�s festival can already diarise the weekend of 25 to 28 April when the SA Cheese Festival returns in 2008.