FROMAGO Cheese Experience 2026 presents its project in Oviedo to institutions, cheesemakers, and industry representatives from two regions

• Fromago Director Sara Fregeneda highlights internationalization as the major challenge of the third edition and announces the participation of exhibitors from Portugal, France, Italy, and the Americas
• Begoña López, Director General of Agroindustry for the Principality of Asturias, confirms Asturias’ participation: “See you in Zamora”
• The event, held at the LA NUEVA ESPAÑA Club in Oviedo, brought together institutional representatives from both regions, cheesemakers, and business leaders from the sector

FROMAGO Cheese Experience 2026 kicked off its presentation tour yesterday with its first stop in Oviedo. The LA NUEVA ESPAÑA Club hosted the launch event for the third edition of the fair, attended by nearly 150 people, including representatives from institutions, the main Asturian Designations of Origin, members of the EILZA board, and representatives from the business sectors of Asturias and Castile and León.

Internationalization and a close relationship with the cheesemaker: the keys

Sara Fregeneda, director of Fromago and president of EILZA, outlined the main themes of this year’s event, which faces the primary challenge of raising its international profile. With more than 400 confirmed exhibitors, nearly 1,200 varieties of cheese, and a 40,000 m² exhibition area stretching through the streets of Zamora, the fair aims to surpass the 300,000 visitors from the previous edition and reach close to 350,000.

Fregeneda emphasized that Fromago’s success lies in something that is difficult to replicate: the direct connection between the cheesemaker and the end consumer. “It’s not a trade show, but a street fair,” she explained, where producers personally explain how they make their cheese, whether or not they have their own livestock, and what sets them apart. According to the director, this connection is essential for the sector to see a real return on its investment.

Regarding internationalization, Fregeneda announced that there are already confirmed exhibitors from Portugal, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, and that efforts are actively underway to bring in producers from South America and the United States—markets with a long tradition of cheese-making that is still relatively unknown in Spain.

Asturias, Europe’s great cheese-making region

Begoña López, Director General of Agroindustry and Rural Development for the Principality of Asturias, opened the institutional event with a clear message: “Asturias will be at Fromago—as it could not be otherwise.” López highlighted the Asturian cheese sector as “iconic and strategic,” noting that the Principality boasts more than 300 varieties of cheese, nearly 100 cheese makers, and four Designations of Origin — Cabrales, Gamonéu, Casín, and Afuega’l Pitu — in addition to a Protected Geographical Indication.

The regional official described Asturias as “Europe’s largest cheese-making region” and highlighted the human value behind each cheese: livestock farmers, cheesemakers, and the tradition that the Principality seeks to protect and promote through initiatives such as the new “Saborea el Paraíso” program.

A roundtable discussion featuring the voices of the cheesemakers

The event included a panel discussion featuring Fernando Fregeneda from Quesería La Antigua in Fuentesaúco, Manuel Viaño from Reny Picot, Natalia Lobeto from Quesería Redes with Casín PDO cheese, and Verónica Álvarez from Quesería Temia with Afuega’l Pitu PDO cheese. Four voices from the sector who shared their experience and vision of an industry undergoing rapid transformation.

Javier Faúndez, president of the Zamora Provincial Council, delivered the closing remarks, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to Fromago and EILZA as strategic projects for the province and for the national cheese industry.

The event was hosted by Ángeles Rivero, general manager of Prensa Ibérica in Asturias and Castilla y León, and was also attended by the deputy mayor of Oviedo, Mario Arias, and Begoña Galache, editor-in-chief of La Opinión de Zamora.

The grand finale was a tasting of cheeses from Zamora and Asturias. Two regions with an extraordinary cheese-making tradition and much to build together.

The tour continues

Oviedo is just the first stop. FROMAGO Cheese Experience 2026 will continue to showcase its project in various cities over the coming months, with the goal of expanding its international presence and establishing Zamora as the world capital of cheese.

Source: La Opinión de Zamora / La Nueva España FROMAGO Cheese Experience 2026 · Zamora, September 17–20 · www.fromago.info