The Azores produce 32,000 tons of cheese every year. The information was provided by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, during World Cheese Day.
“Azorean cheeses are of high nutritional quality and have their own identity, characteristic of our region, of high historical value and with a future. They bring with them genuineness and project sustainability. Azorean cheeses are one of our fingerprints,” said the holder of the Agriculture portfolio, quoted in a press release.
World Cheese Day was celebrated on Monday. António Ventura remembered the date, stressing “the importance and role that cheese plays in the economy” of the Azores.
“Regional production makes a very important contribution to the sustainability of the economy, to the enhancement of products and to tourist attraction through the gastronomy and tradition associated with it,” he stressed.

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture argued that “cheese awakens the connection between culture and social interaction,” adding that the Azores have “an infinite wealth of flavors” that enhance gastronomy and the islands.
“The cheeses produced in the Azores have been awarded prizes in various national and international competitions, which attests to their intrinsic quality,” he said.
The 12-month-old Milhafre cheese from Graciosa Island won first place in the Queijos de Portugal competition (fifteenth edition, 2024) in the category of long-aged cow’s cheese.
In 2024, the Azores also won 10 prizes in the 14th National Competition for Traditional Portuguese Long-Run Cheeses, which took place in Santarém.
Eleven Azorean cheeses participated in the competition. Unileite’s Queijo de São Miguel—9 Meses was considered the “Best of the Best” in its category.
Gold medals went to Uniqueijo’s São Jorge PDO Cheese – 4 Months, 7 Months, 12 Months, and 24 Months, as well as Unileite’s Cow’s Cheese with Garlic and Parsley – Nova Açores.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.