FROMAGO presents its third edition at Galicia’s Green Week and highlights Zamora as a European leader in cheese

The official presentation, held at the Zamora Provincial Council’s booth during the 48th Abanca Semana Verde International Fair in Galicia, was led by Víctor López de la Parte and Israel García Vaquero before an audience of industry professionals, institutional representatives, and visitors

The event took place just 48 hours after EILZA received the prestigious Cincho de Honor Award for its work in training and promoting Spanish cheese internationally

Galicia will once again have a prominent presence at Fromago 2026 with its own tent located in one of the main squares along the Zamora fairgrounds

FROMAGO Cheese Experience 2026 held its official presentation this Friday as part of the 48th Abanca Semana Verde International Fair of Galicia. The event, hosted by Víctor López de la Parte, first vice president and deputy for tourism of the Zamora Provincial Council, and Israel García Vaquero, director of the International School of Dairy Industries (EILZA), took place at 12:00 p.m. at the Zamora Provincial Council’s booth before a large group of professionals, institutional representatives, and visitors to the Galician fair.

A trade show that embodies products, tradition, internationalization, and business

During his remarks, García Vaquero outlined the highlights of the third edition of Fromago, which will be held in Zamora from September 17 to 20. The fair will feature 400 booths, more than 300 exhibiting companies, over 1,200 varieties of cheese, and a 3-kilometer outdoor route stretching across 40,000 m² of Zamora’s historic district. About 20% of the space will be dedicated to premium products that pair well with cheese: honey, jam, cured meats, chocolate, and nuts, among others.

The EILZA manager also highlighted the cultural and traditional aspects of the fair, celebrating trades such as master cheesemaker, shepherd, and—new this year— spinner—a tradition the organization aims to revive and promote due to its role in revitalizing sheep’s wool. “Zamora is cheese,” said García Vaquero, noting that it is the country’s leading provincial capital for sheep’s milk production and that one out of every three Spanish cheeses comes from Castile and León.

On the international front, Fromago 2026 has already confirmed the participation of France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Colombia, the United Kingdom, and Japan—the latter featuring sake, “which pairs wonderfully with cheese.” The trade program will also include buyer missions with international buyers, specialty stores, and large retailers on Thursday and Friday of the fair.

Four cheese tunnels and three national contests

Among the highlights, García Vaquero announced the addition of a fourth cheese tunnel —increasing the total from three to four—all of which will be overseen by master cheesemaker José Luis Martín. The new tunnel will be dedicated to the winning cheeses of the Cincho Awards and will join the tunnels for national, international, and protected geographical indication cheeses. At the previous edition, 8,500 tickets were sold for this activity, one of the most popular at Fromago.

In addition to these are three professional competitions: the 3rd Competition for Spain’s Best Fromager, the 3rd Competition for the Best Cheese Board in the Hospitality Industry, and—new this year—the 1st National Competition for Spain’s Best Cheesecake.

“The most important cheese fair in Southern Europe”

For his part, Víctor López de la Parte sought to sum up the project in a clear statement: “Fromago is the most important cheese fair in southern Europe. “ The vice president of the Provincial Council highlighted the event’s economic impact—14 million euros in revenue for the province during the previous edition—and recalled the image that moved Zamora in 2024: “If the fair started on Thursday, by Friday afternoon or Saturday morning many small producers had to put up a sign saying they’d sold out—and ‘thank you very much, Zamora.’”

López de la Parte thanked the cheesemakers who supported the project from the start and took the opportunity to appeal to those who are still considering attending: “It is a very important trade event for anyone who may still be thinking about attending—we have a few spots left. “ The stated goal for this year’s event is ambitious: “to make Zamora, Castile and León, and the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula the most important cheese fair in Europe.”

EILZA, recently awarded the Cincho de Honor

The presentation came at a particularly significant moment for the organization. Just 48 hours earlier, EILZA had received the Cincho Award of Honor at the 12th edition of the Cincho Awards, the international cheese competition organized by the Regional Government of Castile and León. The jury unanimously decided to award the prize to the Foundation for its work in training and promoting Spanish cheese internationally, a track record in which the organization of Fromago plays a prominent role.

Galicia, a Prominent Presence in Zamora

Galicia will once again play a very special role at Fromago 2026. The Galician region will have its own pavilion in one of the main squares of the fairgrounds, bringing together several cheese makers and projects from the Galician dairy sector, thereby strengthening a strategic alliance between two regions with a shared tradition and a common passion for cheese.

The day before, the prelude with Alfonso Rueda

Friday’s official presentation was preceded by an institutional visit the day before. A Fromago delegation led by Víctor López de la Parte attended the opening of the Galician trade fair, where Alfonso Rueda, president of the Xunta de Galicia, visited the Zamora Provincial Council’s booth to learn firsthand about the Fromago 2026 initiative.

The event concluded with a tasting of cheeses from Zamora paired with Zamora-brand honey—recently recognized as a product of distinguished quality—and a cooking demonstration featuring products from Alimentos de Zamora led by chef Pedro Toribio.