Cheese beyond borders

International exhibitors and representatives of the Slow Food network from all around the world

Click here to get your press accreditation 

Here you find our press releases 

Cheese, the largest international event dedicated to raw milk, natural cheeses and artisanal dairy products organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, is about to start in Bra (Italy) on September 15.

Cheesemakers, herders, producers and experts from all over the world meet to present their products, share ideas and common solutions to the challenges we are all facing, starting from the climate crisis.

Exhibitors from 14 countries will be present in the international market. This includes renowned names such as the affineur Jasper Hill Farm from the United States, Neil’s Yard from the United Kingdom, producers and selectors from Switzerland, Sweden and various other European countries such as Belgium and Portugal. Long-standing exhibitors such as Quesería Cultivo from Spain will be part of an important national delegation which includes representatives from the Slow Food Community Via de la Plata para el amparo de productos y emprendedores de las provincias de Salamanca y Zamora.  Italy, with producers from all its regions, holds a place of honor, with numerous representatives having already confirmed their attendance. Slow Food Presidia, i.e. groups of producers committed to preserving and passing on traditional production techniques and crafts, will offer their cheeses and tell their stories, and as a matter of example we mention the Raw Milk Stichelton and the Artisanal Somerset Cheddar from the UK, the Irish Raw Milk Cheeses, the Aged Artisanal Gouda from The Netherlands, the Swiss Traditional Emmentaler, the Bleu de Queyras from France and the Austrian Plezzana sheep (Krainer Steinschaf) breeders. These two new Presidia will be the protagonists of the conference Welcome new Presidia, on September 16 at 6 pm .

https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/welcome-new-cheese-presidia/

The republic of North Macedonia, whose presence is financed by the Macedonian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and water Economy of Macedonia, will welcome visitors with an interesting program of tastings and activities. Elena Karovska Gosevska, Slow Food Macedonia Coordinator  will also participate in the conference September: time of transhumance https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/september-time-of-transhumance/. North Macedonia will also be at the center of the Taste Workshop Trashumance in North Macedonia on September 17 at 3 pm. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/104037/ .

The international Slow Food network will also be represented by a numerous delegation from Norway and Nordic countries, Balkans, Ukraine, Turkey and many other countries.

Just to give you some insights, Ben Mehedin, coordinator of the Slow Food Presidium for Bazna pig, Romania, and Dessislava Dimitrova, coordinator of Slow Food in Bulgaria, will be on stage to discuss how they dealt with the African swine fever which affected the Balkans in the past months and what it means for biodiversity and herders (https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/african-swine-fever-who-pays-the-price/ ) , while Oleksandr Shatalov, spokesperson for the Slow Food Community for the revitalization of Hutsul gastronomy and traditional agriculture in Kvasy, Ukraine explains how he is trying to bring a new regeneration in the mountains and highlands (https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/repopulating-the-mountains/ ). Aud Slettehaug, from the Slow Food Presidia for artisanal geitost from the Sogne Fjord and pultost from the counties of Hedmark and Oppland, Norway presents challenges and solutions to face the current climate crisis https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/chronicles-of-a-changing-climate/,

French producers will reach Italy at the end of a Presidium Tour (Tour des Sentinelles). Leaving Camembert on September 11, they will visit several producers, assist with some production moments and take on board cheeses from French Presidia in order to bring them to Cheese.

Taste Workshops and Dinner Dates

During the Looking beyond borders Taste Workshop, traditional Slow Food guided tastings, on September 17 at 2 pm, protagonists will be Pasture Sbrinz (Slow Food Presidium) from Switzerland and Afuega l’Pitu made from raw milk (Ark of Taste) from Spain. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/looking-beyond-borders/

On September 18 at 3 pm Zeynep Hande Kilic, a Slow Food Alliance chef from Antalya and owner of the restaurant Capra in Kaş participates to the Taste Workshop Discovering Turkish cheese traditions: Halva. She brings her love for authentic flavors, guiding the public to discover one of the most delightful and representative preparations from the Çanakkale region: baked cheese halva, a traditional dessert rich in history and taste. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/turkish-cheese-traditions/

As per Dinner Dates, among the most popular appointments at all Slow Food events, Spain opens the program with Spanish forests, with chef Marc Ribas who presents its project Ramats de Foc, which aims to protect local flora at risk of wildfires due to climate change through silvopastoralism. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/spanish-forests-with-marc-ribas-and-ramats-de-foc/

On September 16 Juan Camilo Quintero, the executive chef of Relais & Châteaux Borgo San Felice resort presents a culinary journey from the Tuscan coastal sea to the hills of Chianti. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/juan-camilo-quintero-from-chianti-to-the-langhe/

On September 17 the chefs of the Italian and international Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance prepare a dinner that explores the full spectrum of grass-based products in a wonderfully fragrant Dîner sur l’herbe.

https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/event/diner-sur-lherbe-with-the-slow-food-alliance/

The Slow Food Coffee Coalition at Cheese

The space dedicated to the Slow Food Coffee Coalition offers a different coffee experience: not just by tasting it, but by trying to understand what makes coffee good for the environment and for those who produce it. The Coffee Coalition House contains a space with an exhibition,a specific program and stands of Italian and international coffee roasters who present the coffees of the Coalition

https://cheese.slowfood.it/la-slow-food-coffee-coalition/

Cheese off site

Around mid September the Slow Food Earth Markets in Bogotà (Colombia) and Aguadilla (Porto Rico) will celebrate the event with some special corners and activities dedicated to dairy products, while in Rosario (Argentina) there will be dedicated Taste Workshops.

Useful information:

Pictures of the past edition https://media.slowfood.it/Cheese-2023

Latest news and the program https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/

Exhibitors’ catalogue. https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/scheda_espositore/

Press Office contacts
Slow Food:
Alessia Pautasso, (+39) 342 8641029 [email protected]
Paola Nano, (+39) 329 8321285 [email protected]
City of Bra: Roberto Buffa, 0172 438278 [email protected]