The cheese industry in Spain in 2019
Spain is a country with a great gastronomic trajectory in general. The cheese industry in Spain, in particular, is really strong thanks to the livestock tradition that has been extended for centuries and that turns Spanish artisan cheese products into excellent culinary proposals, something that is taken to one of the best categories when it comes to products with Protected Designation of Origin. The export of the cheese industry in Spain is growing year after year, making our best cheeses known in international markets. Exporting is a new way of marketing our cheeses and many manufacturers already see this option as a very valid way of increasing their sales. But as with all exports, it requires quality products, and in this case there is nothing better than the PDOs to give prestige to the cheese industry in Spain. Let’s take a look at the most important ones.
The cheese industry in Spain in 2019 shows off its best PDOs
Cabrales cheese, a classic of the cheese industry in Spain and Asturian quality 2019.
If we talk about the important cheese industry in Spain, it is unthinkable not to start with one of the most popular products with a Protected Designation of Origin, the unmistakable Cabrales cheese, obtained from the milk of cows, sheep and goats belonging to herds registered in the Cabrales PDO, with its unmistakable bluish appearance and the characteristic smell it emanates.
The cheese from this Asturian village is one of the most intense in the Spanish cheese industry and is distinguished by its cylindrical shape with flat sides, its height of between 7 and 15 cm, its natural, soft and thin rind due to maturing in natural caves with high humidity; other Asturian PDOs are Gamoneu,Afuega’l Pitu or Casín. The Middle East already eats Cabrales cheese and Afuerga’l Pitu: Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Lebanon and Jordan are the chosen markets.
Idiazábal and northern cheeses, of great importance in the cheese industry in Spain.
The dairy product used to make Idiazábal cheese with the Designation of Origin comes from the Latxa breed of sheep, a small, rustic animal characteristic of this area of the Basque Country which produces milk of the highest quality and which gives well-deserved prestige to another of the important brands of the Spanish cheese industry.
One of the main characteristics of this cheese is that it is made from raw milk, is cured for at least two months, is small or medium-sized, is enzymatically coagulated, is an uncooked cheese, is pressed with a hard paste and can be found on the market smoked or unsmoked; other important cheeses from the Cantabrian area with PDOs are Picón Bejes and Camerano.
Galician cheeses and the unmistakable Tetilla cheese are the standard-bearers of the Spanish cheese industry.
An essential element in Galician gastronomy is the cheese with Designation of Origin Tetilla cheese , made with milk from cows of the Frisona, Parda Alpina and Rubia Gallega breeds. It is one of the most representative cheeses of the area and stands out for its shape, which is reminiscent of a breast, hence its name.
To offer the Denomination of Origin of Tetilla Cheese, both the cows and the whole process must meet a series of detailed qualities, ranging from the type of milking of the animals in the necessary hygienic conditions to the temperatures of its production and conservation; other important cheeses in the area with D.O.P. are Arzúa or Cebreiro. Exports of Galician cheeses are growing four times faster than exports of other cheeses from the Iberian Peninsula. Its target markets par excellence are: The United States, Asia and Europe.
The famous Manchego cheese and the cheeses of the south are other references of the cheese industry in Spain.
Manchego cheese is the name given to the cheese made in the region of La Mancha from the milk of sheep of the Manchego breed with a maturing period of at least 70 days, made from pasteurised sheep’s milk and, if it is of the artisan type, unpasteurised, all from livestock farms registered under the Manchego Cheese Designation of Origin.
In the Mediterranean area there are also great cheeses with Denomination of Origin such as the delicious Murcia and Murcia al Vino cheeses made with Murcian goats, the Palmero cheese from the Canary Islands or the Ibores cheese made with goats of the Serranas, Veratas or Retintas breeds fed in the Mediterranean forests. These are by far the most exported and best known Spanish cheeses outside our borders.
Are you a cheese producer and want to export them? Contact us to find out how we can help you. We have several export services that might interest you.