This is La Pastora spread with paprika, semi-cured mixture, from La Pared Livestock. The Official Agrocanarias Competition leaves, besides, a total of 56 medals and five distinctions
Shepherdess spread with paprika, raw milk semi-cured mixture, prepared by Ganadería La Pared in Fuerteventura, has been selected as Best Cheese from the Canary Islands 2024 within the framework of the Official Agrocanarias Competition, organized by the Canarian Government, through the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), to distinguish the best productions of the archipelago.
From 1984 this family agri-food company, directed by Nicolasa Castro (Rural Women Award from the Government of the Canary Islands in 2017), makes artisanal cheeses from goat and sheep milk in the municipality of Bird, in the south of the island, under the seal of award-winning brands such as Shepherdess y The Little Shepherd, in addition to Wall y Old King cheese cream. Their creations have received recognition both regionally and internationally., including Agrocanarias 2019, in which it won the award for best Canarian cheese for The Little Shepherd aged sheep spread with gofio, and the World Cheese Awards.
All medals and distinctions
The distinction of Best Image and Presentation has fallen into Naturteneo – Mixture moldy bark, raw milk semi-cured mixture, prepared by Alexander López Rodríguez (Tenerife), product that also receives a silver medal; and the one granted by the children's jury it was for Expertise tender pasteurized milk (DOP Majorero Cheese), prepared by the Fuerteventura Livestock Farmers Group.
Caprarius spread with cured raw goat's milk gofio, prepared by Rayco Ramos Rodríguez (DOP Majorero Cheese) obtains the recognition granted by the popular jury and a gold medal, while Rosario Agaete Artisanal Cheese Factory cured raw cow's milk (Macarena Rosario Expósito, Gran Canaria), achieves the best limited production and a great gold medal.
Las big gold medals have been for Shepherdess spread with paprika, in the category of raw milk curing mix, for Flor de Las Nieves made from vegetable rennet (Uga Finca, Lanzarote), Smoky Caves aged raw sheep's milk (Felix Alberto Gil Lopez, The Palm), The Little Shepherd spread with raw cured sheep's milk gofio (La Pared Livestock, Fuerteventura), Rosario Agaete Artisanal Cheese Factory semi-cured raw cow's milk (Macarena Rosario Expósito), Pink Wood Cheese spread with raw cured goat's milk paprika (Rosa de la Madera Cheese Factory) y Fuente Morales Estate of mixture spread with aged gofio (prepared by Juan Suárez e Hijos S.L. in Gran Canaria). To these are added, in the tender raw goat milk category, the awards to The Ampuyenta (DOP Majorero Cheese, prepared by Héctor Luis Cabrera González) already Farm Las Cuevas smoked (Felix Alberto Gil Rodriguez, The Palm); in the semi-cured pasteurized form, Volcano blend cheese (Uga Finca, Lanzarote) y Smoked goat Montesdeoca (Montesdeoca Dairy, Tenerife); y, in the raw semi-cured sheep's milk section, Pavón Farmhouse (DOP Flor de Guía, Half a Guide Flower and Guide Cheese, prepared by José de La Cruz Mendoza) y The Cortijo El Montañón (Flora María Gil Mendoza, Gran Canaria).
Regarding pasteurized cured cheeses, The two highest distinctions are awarded to Expertise spread with paprika (DOP Majorero Cheese) of the Fuerteventura Livestock Group, and goat cheese spread with paprika Uga Finca, Lanzarote. In semi-cured raw goat milk the highest scores were for El Rubicón Cheese Factory (Explotaciones Rubicón SL,) y Filo El Cuchillo Cheese Factory, both from Lanzarote.
They receive a gold medal, in the tender pasteurized category, goat guatisea (White Mountain Cheese Factory, Lanzarote), San Mateo Cheese smoked goat (San Mateo Cheeses, Gran Canaria) y Majo's Secret of goat (Uga Finca, Lanzarote). As for semi-cured pasteurized products, the gold has fallen on Selected cheese mix with paprika (Fuerteventura Livestock Group) y Expertise goat spread with paprika (DOP Majorero Cheese, Fuerteventura Livestock Group). Cured pasteurized products have been awarded the sheep cellar (Uga Finca, Lanzarote) y Julian Diaz of goat smeared with gofio (DOP Majorero Cheese, prepared by Arquema S.L.).
In the old pasteurized category they obtain a gold medal San Mateo Goat Cheeses (Gran Canaria) and in aged pasteurized, Montesdeoca mix (Lácteos Montesdeoca S.L., Tenerife). In the raw milk section, tender goats achieve this distinction The Candilera smoked (DOP Palmero Cheese, prepared by Moisés Carmona Fernández) y Victorino Cheeses (DOP Palmero Cheese, by Doris Rocío Paredes Ollero).
Among the semi-cured raw milk goat cheeses, a gold medal was awarded to Cheese Casserole (Antonio Alejandro Suárez Perdomo, Gran Canaria), The rent (Llailma del Carmen Saavedra Suárez, Gran Canaria), Hour Moon smoked (DOP Palmero Cheese, prepared by Lácteos Inlaka S.L.) y Pastor de Tahíche Cheese Factory (Lanzarote).
In raw cured goat milk the gold corresponded to Cardona cheeses greased with gofio (Quesos Cardona S.L., Gran Canaria), The Candilera smoked (DOP Palmero Cheese, Moisés Carmona Fernández) y El Rincón Cheeses spread with paprika (prepared by Pablo Ramón Rodríguez Martín, Fuerteventura); while the award-winning old raw goat milk productions were Las Cuevas Farm spread with paprika (Felix Alberto Gil Rodriguez, The Palm) and aged raw goat's milk Rubicon Cheese Factory (Explotaciones Rubicón S.L., Lanzarote).
In the raw old cow's milk category, it was awarded this same award., El Caidero de Moya Cheese Factory (Yolanda Arencibia Díaz, Gran Canaria); in raw cured sheep's milk, Pavón Farmhouse (DOP Flor de Guía, Half a Guide Flower and Guide Cheese, by José de La Cruz Mendoza); in tender raw milk mixture, Tejeda delicacy (Escolastica María Mayor Huertas, Gran Canaria); in raw milk cured mixture, Cardona cheeses greased with gofio (Gran Canaria); in raw milk semi-cured mixture, 5Senti2 – Celaje; and in raw milk aged mixture, 5Senti2 – Foundation (both by José Salvador Betancort Pérez, Tenerife).
They also won the gold medal, in the vegetable rennet mixture cheese category and others, The Caideros Farmhouse (DOP Flor de Guía, Half a Guide Flower and Guide Cheese, Cristóbal Antonio Moreno Díaz, Gran Canaria) y, in cheese with the presence of mold, The Miner of Ara Farm, covered with ash and Candide brush (by Melquiades Ancor Expósito Hernández, in Tenerife).
Likewise, four silver medals are assigned in the semi-cured raw goat milk section to Old City (Regino Ibarria Molina, The Palm), The Rock (DOP Palmero Cheese, Oliver Martin Hernandez), Wall spread with paprika (DOP Majorero Cheese, La Pared Livestock) y Seña Felisa Cheese Factory (José Domingo de León Álvarez, Lanzarote).
The rest of the money falls on The Tofio goat spread with paprika (Fuerteventura Livestock Farmers Group) y Cow tixoco (Montesdeoca Dairy, Tenerife) in pasteurized cured cheeses; The Lilies smoked tender raw goat milk (Paula Pérez Rodríguez, The Palm) y The Tofio semi-cured pasteurized goat's milk spread with paprika (Fuerteventura Livestock Group).
Institutional valuations
The advisor of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, presided over the reading of the contest jury's decision, accompanied by the director of the ICCA, Luis Arraez. During his intervention, The head of the department explained that a total of 61 awards, that is to say, 56 medals (18 big gold, 29 golds, y 9 wide) and five distinctions within the framework of this competition, which seeks to be a showcase to help producers improve their positioning in the market and constitutes a quality reference for consumers. A total of 223 cheeses 75 cheese factories have competed to be the best production of Canary Islands in this edition, which represents an increase in participation of the 35,15% with respect to the last call.
Quintero highlighted that “Canary Islands is a world power in the production of cheese of differentiated quality” and referred to the need to continue supporting these productions and making visible the work of the men and women dedicated to livestock activity and the cheese industry of the islands., “who have known how to combine culture and traditional cheese making with new technologies, which, added to the excellence of our livestock herd and the research work carried out to improve our breeds, results in greater production of higher quality., recognized in all parts of the world”.
“With the consumption of Km products 0 we favor the local economy, the maintenance of our agricultural landscapes and the continuity of a sector, the primary, which is fundamental in our land”, he added.
The contest
The competition was governed by a blind tasting system where the tasting panel, made up of twenty-three tasters, specialists in the analysis of agri-food products, evaluated the samples without knowing the brands of the productions that were analyzed. With their evaluations they have determined the award-winning productions, which will be able to use the official badge of the award obtained for one year and will participate in the different development and promotion events that the ICCA organizes throughout the year.. In addition, to the cheese factories that have been admitted to this competition, Registration and logistics costs will be paid for the Gourmets Cheese Championship held annually in Madrid..
