SÃO JORGE PDO CHEESE 4 MONTHS WINS GOLD

Cheeses from the Azores won eight medals at the World Cheese Awards 2025, including a gold medal for Queijo de São Jorge PDO 4 months. For Lactaçores commercial director António Azevedo, these awards represent “the good work and progress made by Uniquejo’s cheeses and members.”

“Producers have been delivering excellent quality milk, factories can process and add value, and Lactaçores, in turn, through the way it markets and places products in new markets, can bring more value. It is proof that we are on the right track,” he said in statements to DI- Diário Insular newspaper. São Jorge PDO cheese won three medals this year and retained the gold medal it had previously won in this competition with its four-month matured cheese. São Jorge PDO 7-month cheese won silver, as did São Miguel 9-month cheese. Bronze medals were also awarded to São Jorge PDO 12-month cheese, Ilha São Miguel 18-month cheese, Nova Açores Alho & Salsa cheese, Ilha Azul Amanteigado cheese, and O Morro soft cow’s milk cheese.

For António Azevedo, these awards raise the profile of Azorean cheeses abroad. “All eyes are on these cheeses competing in the World Cheese Awards. All awards are a sign of recognition, and it is clear that now those who market them need to capitalize on the awards that have been won,” he stressed. São Jorge cheese is already “internationally recognized,” and São Miguel cheese is also beginning to be recognized.

“These are two cheeses that raise the quality of Portuguese cheeses and, more specifically, Azorean cheeses,” António Azevedo pointed out. The Azores Agricultural Federation welcomed, in a press release, the “important distinction” awarded to Azorean cheeses at this year’s “World Cheese Awards 2025” competition, which took place in Switzerland.

Around 5,200 cheeses from 46 countries were entered in the competition. Among the 17 Portuguese cheeses present at the event, eight Azorean cheeses received gold, silver, and bronze medals, which, according to the Agricultural Federation, affirms “the quality of a product of excellence” from the archipelago. “The Azores Agricultural Federation congratulates the winners and all the producers who work hard every day to supply the food market with pride, passion, and honor. These awards make us and the Azores proud,” it said.

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, also congratulated the winners at the World Cheese Awards and the 16th Portuguese Cheese Competition. “To the Azorean milk producers, I offer my deep appreciation for their exemplary dedication, which has made the Azores archipelago a symbol of dairy excellence. With daily dedication, facing challenges from the climate, routine, and the market, they ensure the production of a noble, nutritious, and irreplaceable food. In green landscapes shaped by nature and rural knowledge, they produce milk of unparalleled quality—rich, pure, and with unique characteristics that reflect their care for the animals, respect for the environment, and passion for what they do. Azorean milk is more than a raw material: it is a living heritage, the basis of prestigious products and the pride of a region that honors tradition and innovation,” he said in a press release.

For the head of the Azorean Secretariat for Agriculture, “Azorean cheeses are ambassadors of excellence” for the region’s gastronomy and “contribute to the prestige of the national agri-food sector.”

“To all those involved, I offer my sincere congratulations. May this recognition be an incentive to continue to elevate the flavors of the region and Portugal, and may the authentic taste of our cheeses continue to conquer palates and tell stories of dedication and regional identity,” he emphasized.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director.

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