Cheese 2015 in Bra from September 18 to 21, 2015

 Cheese 2015 Program Online at http://cheese.slowfood.it/en/ 

This year’s theme is the mountains. 

The tenth edition of Cheese, the international biennial event organized by the Città di Bra and Slow Food, will be held in Bra (Italy) from Friday, September 18 to Monday, September 21, 2015. Dedicated to milk in all its shapes and forms, the event has led to the formation of an international network of cheesemakers and dairy artisans, who come together every two years to present their products, meet the public and debate the challenges they face and new critical issues in the dairy world.

This year’s theme is “A journey to mountain pastures”, with a specific focus on the role of mountains and highlands, will feature accounts from those who have chosen to live and work on mountain pastures and the cheeses they produce.

Mountain areas preserve an extraordinary biodiversity (of plant varieties, animal species and ecosystems) and they are the expression of cultures, traditional knowledge and local identities. Today this diversity risks being compromised by the abandonment of production activities and the environmental impact of inappropriate touristic exploitation. More and more often mountains are considered marginal, even isolated and backward areas.

Slow Food wants to restore the value of  mountain production, assuring dignity to the people who work in those areas and ensuring impeccable animal welfare. If pastoral and dairy activities were the main focus of mountain development, they would embody the most efficient driving force to re-launch local economies. 

Cheese 2015 will gather thousands of Italian and foreign producers from all over the world who will describe the dairy situation in their countries and the challenges they face. The event will be used as a platform to denounce critical issues that today influence and limit the small-scale supply chain of food and its commercialization. For the general public, Cheese will be an opportunity to exchange views with farmers, cheesemakers and artisans who work daily in the mountains, safeguarding its biodiversity. This year the Biodiversity House will be a place to meet producers and home to a mountain products exhibition, which will showcase products including cheeses, honey, vegetables, legumes, root vegetables, fruit and wild herbs, grown or harvested on mountainsides all over the world: from the Andes to the Caucasus, from the Pyrenees to the Alps and the Apennines.

In the last edition of Cheese, which took place in 2013, the Cheese Market comprised 188 stands (136 Italian stands and 52 foreign stands), 43 Slow Food Italian Presidia and 17 Slow Food International Presidia. In the Great Hall of Cheese, a selection of 151 different cheeses from a variety of countries were offered and paired with wines from an 800 strong selection. Cheese 2013 gathered producers, experts and chefs from 28 different countries, including the UK (the host country of the 9th edition), Ireland, France, Brazil, Bulgaria, and Ethiopia. There were approximately 250,000 visitors.

The Ark of Taste was the star of Cheese 2013; the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity project is an international catalogue of products that are at risk of extinction and represent important traditional and cultural symbols over the five continents represented. To date 297 cheeses and dairy products have been welcomed onto the Ark.

Hundreds of stands will be present at the Cheese Market, together with Slow Food Presidia and affineurs from all over the world. Spain will be the host country of Cheese 2015 and Spanish dairy products will be available at The Great Hall of Cheese. Here it will be possible to pair them with wines from the Enoteca, which will house hundreds of Italian wines selected by the Bank of Wine of Pollenzo. 

The program for Cheese 2015 includes 35 Taste Workshops, guided tastings to discover the world of dairy biodiversity and more; 4 Dinner Dates, an opportunity to meet some of the best Italian and international chefs and enjoy their special dishes; and 21 conferences on issues linked to the dairy supply chain.

Cheese 2015 has been made possible by the support of companies who believe in the future of the quality dairy sector, including the Official Partners: Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano, Lurisia, Pastificio Di Martino and Radeberger Gruppe Italia.

Cheese, the international biennial event organized by the City of Bra and Slow Food, will be held in Bra (Italy) from Friday, September 18 to Monday, September 21, 2015. Dedicated to milk in all its shapes and forms, the event has led to the formation of an international network of cheesemakers and dairy artisans, and is currently on its tenth edition.

For further information, please contact the Slow Food International Press Office:

Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285 [email protected] 

Città di Bra: Raffaele Grillo – Elena Martini +39 0172 438278, [email protected]
 www.slowfood.it  –  www.comune.bra.cn.it

Slow Food involves over a million of people dedicated to and passionate about good, clean and fair food. This includes chefs, youth, activists, farmers, fishers, experts and academics in over 158 countries; a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide (known as convivia), contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize; and over 2,500 Terra Madre food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.