The province of Granada has a prominent presence at the "Andalucía Gusto del Sur International Cheese Festival" and in the 38th edition of the "World Cheese Awards", considered the world’s largest gastronomic showcase of the year for the cheese sector. Five cheese dairies from Granada attend under the provincial brand "Sabor Granada", promoted by the Diputación, to showcase Granada’s agri-food potential among more than 5,000 varieties of cheese from the five continents.
The provincial deputy for European Funds, Development, Industry, Employment and Deputy Spokesperson, Antonio Díaz, has stressed that Granada arrives at this "appointment stomping hard, with the pride of what is ours and our sights set on the world". "Being part of 'Sabor Granada' means precisely this: sharing an identity, defending a collective project that keeps the population in our rural setting, and opening up new commercialization opportunities", he said.
As he added, in a meeting of these characteristics and with an international projection, the participation of the cheese dairies of Granada serves to assert the cheese as a product that goes beyond mere gastronomy.
"Far from being a simple recipe or a technical preparation, cheese stands as an unsurpassable ambassador of the territory and of rural know-how. Behind each wedge there is an unbreakable link with the landscape and the land, backed by generations of experience, livestock tradition, and the effort of entire families dedicated to preserving the identity of their surroundings", Díaz assures.
The Granada delegation is made up of five cheese dairies distributed across different points in the province. Quesería Las 3R, from Maracena, focuses on rescuing traditional formulas by carefully working with Murciano‑granadina goat’s milk.
Los Quesos Juanita also takes part, from Padul, which bring with them a long track record and the distinct personality of the cheese-making tradition of the Valle de Lecrín. Also joining in is Collados Quesería, from Huéscar, which has managed to combine the legacy of master cheesemakers with creative ripening processes that incorporate ingredients such as walnuts, pistachio, or pimentón.
Another of the firms present is Quesería Cortijo El Aserradero, from Alhama de Granada, which represents three generations of history and maintains its own livestock farm to produce cured and flavored cheeses recognized at international competitions. Completing the representation is Quesería Motril, which imprints on its pure goat cheeses the character and essence of the Mediterranean.
The festival is promoted and coordinated by the Instituto del Queso, an independent entity that also assumes the technical secretariat of the international competition in Spain. Its management committee relies on a solid institutional alliance in which the Government of the Junta de Andalucía, the Diputación de Córdoba, and the Ayuntamiento de Córdoba participate, which guarantees a high strategic, commercial, and positioning impact for all participating producers.