2nd Best Fondue Contest in Brazil

With a fondue that sought to value its origins and the small producer, Malu Mello took home the title of “Best Fondue 2024”.

Officially endorsed by Switzerland Turismo Brasil, in partnership with the SerTãoBras association and the Mondial de Fondue in Tartegnin, Switzerland, it took place during the second Best Fondue Contest in Brazil, on April 11, 2024, as part of the 3rd World Cheese Festival in Brazil.

Check out REGULAMENT (PDF) of the Competition .

The event was a qualifying round to select the candidate who will represent Brazil at the World Fondue Championship in Switzerland in 2025. Tartegnin is known in the Vaud region for its top quality wines and beautiful views of Lake Geneva and the Alps. The Brazilian competition welcomed 6 candidates, including professionals and amateurs. Among the professionals, the judging panel included cheesemakers and chefs.

The candidates were judged on the criteria established by the Swiss competition, focusing on the originality of the recipe. “One of the rules is that all the fondues must have 50% of Gruyère PDO, a cheese that will be offered by the competition to the candidates. The other half is the candidate's choice, and we hope to see good Brazilian cheeses in alliance with the king of Swiss cheeses, consecrating this typical dish that is a symbol of our culture,” said Fabien Clerc, Swiss consul in Brazil.

The presidents of the competition are the Swiss Stéphane Jayet and Philippe Chevrier and the general commissioner is Gabriela La Porta, a cheese producer from Belmiro Braga, MG and Garde et Juré from the Guilde des Fromagers. The judges will be invited for their professional expertise.

Gruyère was the champion cheese at the Brazilian Cheese World Cup in São Paulo in September 2022, coming first ahead of 1,200 cheeses and dairy products from Brazil and other countries.

O champion of the competition will have their ticket to Switzerland paid for by the organization.