For the first time, a group of Ukrainian cheesemakers visited the World Cheese Awards competition in Portugal and cheese factories in Italy as part of a study tour
In November, a study tour for Ukrainian cheese makers took place, which included participation in the World Cheese Awards (WCA), international cheese competition in Portugal, and a visit to cheesemaking facilities in Italy.
The overall goal of the study tour was to strengthen the trade potential of Ukrainian dairy products through
– direct interaction with judges, cheesemakers, buyers and cheese experts during the WCA;
– studying market trends, new technologies, and gathering valuable insights to shape their future marketing and production strategies;
– increasing brand awareness by presenting it on the international world stage;
– inspiration and additional motivation to develop own team and business;
– getting acquainted with key cheese production sites and deepen knowledge and skills in an interactive way with on-site demonstrations and tastings.
This trip brought together Ukrainian producers participating in the WCA, who shared the goals of the study tour – to improve the quality of their products, create new flavour combinations and win over consumers in domestic and international markets.
Representatives from 11 cheese producers participated in the study tour:
- «Mukko», Lviv region;
- «Rory», Kyiv region;
- «Stanislavska cheese factory», Ivano-Frankivsk region;
- «Syroman», Kyiv region;
- «Mum’s cheese», Zakarpattia;
- «Lel’», Kirovohrad region;
- «Budz Baran», Ivano-Frankivsk region;
- «Doobra Farm», Kyiv region;
- «Organic Milk», Zhytomyr region;
- «Staryi Porytsk », Volyn region;
- «Cheese Club», Cherkasy region.
«This trip is another step towards the development of the Ukrainian dairy sector, which will help our cheesemakers create world-class products and open new markets. This experience contributes to the transformation of Ukrainian cheese making through innovation, product quality improvement and the creation of higher value-added products, which has a positive impact on the entire sector», said Tetyana Dyadechko, co-organiser of the study tour, founder of the Tetyana Dyadechko Cheese School and Head of the Association of Cheese Producers of Ukraine.
The study tour to Italy included visits to cheese factories known for their unique technologies and cheeses with the status of protected designation of origin.
It was a unique opportunity
- to get acquainted with the production processes at key Italian cheesemaking facilities;
- to discover the secrets of creating cheeses with the status of protected designation of origin, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Gorgonzola, Taleggio and others;
- to learn the traditional methods of maturation and increasing the added value of products;
- to be inspired by the Italian approach to green tourism and production organisation.
The study tour was supported by Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund and by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland). The official representatives and organisers of Ukraine’s participation in the World Cheese Awards are ARDIS group.
