Louie’s Finer Meats wins top awards at American Cured Meat Championships
Louie’s Finer Meats scores three Grand Champions, three Reserve Grand Champions, one Champion and one Reserve Champion award.
Louis Muench, president of Louie’s Finer Meats, with his ACMC awards.
Cumberland, Wisc.-based Louie’s Finer Meats won the top two awards at the 2025 American Cured Meat Championships, held July 24-26, in Kansas City, Mo. This event is held in conjunction with the annual convention of the American Association of Meat Processors.
The ACMC draws participants from across the United States. This year, there were 873 entries in 30 product classes, making it the largest event since 2012. In total, 76 AAMP members participated in the competition. Meat processors enter their products for evaluation by judges who are meat scientists and specialists in the industry. All entries are judged on aroma, flavor, eye appeal, color and texture. The Top Four products in each class are given awards: Reserve Champion (fourth place), Champion (third), Reserve Grand Champion (second) and Grand Champion (first).
Louie’s Finer Meats was awarded:
- Grand Champion, Braunschweiger
- Reserve Grand Champion, Cured Specialty Meat Products
- Reserve Grand Champion, Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified
- Reserve Grand Champion, Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)
- Reserve Champion, Ham – Semi-Boneless
- Grand Champion, Old World Dried Fermented Sausage
- Grand Champion, Summer Sausage – Cooked
- Champion, Smoked and Cooked Poultry Sausage
Additionally, Louie’s won the Cured Meats Excellence Award, which is given to the company that has the best overall performance in the ACMC. The company’s three Grand Champions, three Reserve Grand Champions, one Champion and one Reserve Champion award gave it more points than any other company in the competition. One of the Grand Champion products, a pepperoni submitted in the Old World Dried Fermented Sausage Class, won the Clarence Knebel Memorial Best of Show Award for the best overall product in the ACMC.
AAMP Executive Director Chris Young said, “The 2025 ACMC was our largest competition in more than a dozen years, so finishing in the Top Four was even more difficult than usual. Winning eight awards, as well as the top two awards in the competition, is a testament to the talent and dedication to quality at Louie’s Finer Meats. We congratulate the Muench Family and the team at Louie’s Finer Meats for such an outstanding performance.”
Louie’s Finer Meats is a member of the American Association of Meat Processors, the nation’s largest trade organization representing small businesses in the meat industry.
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