The challenge is to create a differentiated product

The present and future of artisanal cheese closed the first day of Terrae 2025. The day ended at the Agüimes Municipal Theatre with an interesting round table discussion on cheese and its value chain, featuring local participant Lucía Torres from the Era del Cardón cheese factory. She comes from a family of cheesemakers, studied economics and worked in banking and insurance before becoming a farmer with a herd of 1,000 goats whose milk is used to make her award-winning artisan cheeses. On average, she produces 1,700kg of soft cheese and 10,000kg of semi-hard cheese a year, "a small production which is an advantage for us because it is a local traditional product which, if I stopped taking care of my neighbours to sell it, I would diminish its value," she explained.

For Michele Buster, founder of Forever Cheese and the largest importer of Spanish cheese in the US, small production is not a problem when it comes to marketing. Spain is a country very rich in cheese, in terms of raw materials, talent and vision, and it represents a lot of territory, but there are regions that, although they have a lot of wealth, do not produce enough to export or are unable to meet the demands of countries like the US,' she argued. A member of the prestigious International Guilde des Fromagers, he is currently working on a project called 'Salva Pastores' (Save the Shepherds), the aim of which is 'to recognise the work of the people behind a cheese, not just the producers, but also the farmers and shepherds, who deserve our thanks for their hard work if we want it to continue'.

And this is the main element that we must learn to appreciate, something that the chef Pepe Solla of Casa Solla* (Poio, Pontevedra) fully agrees with. Galicia is one of the best milk-producing areas in the country, and a few years ago they were complaining that they were slaves to the large factories, which was making it impossible for them to survive. I always advised them to add value to their product,' he recalls, citing the example of Ricardo and his wife Ana, a biologist, who run Airas Moniz with Xesús. Just over seven years ago, they decided to sell all their Fresona and Rubia cows and bought around 18 Yersey cows. Thanks to them, the world of cheese in Galicia has changed, because the product has finally begun to be appreciated. Because the market is saturated with mediocrity, but not with excellence, so you have to find your way," she concludes.