Fromago Cheese Experience Cheeses of Spain is finalizing all the details for the launch of the II edition that will begin next Thursday 12 with the official opening at 12 noon. From then on, four days of intense activity oriented to the dairy and cheese sector, but also to the general public, await.
As the undisputed protagonist, cheese and sheep. This food product, star of Zamora and its province is the backbone of a fair that offers all kinds of activities in the center of the capital of Zamora to its participants and visitors for more than 2 kilometers from the Plaza de la Marina to the Plaza de la Catedral.
It is worth mentioning the organization of different round tables and presentations in which the main professionals of the sector will participate and in which important and current issues for cheese producers and cheese lovers will be discussed.
In addition, an important role will be played by the cheese experiences in which tastings will be offered by the various exhibitors and participants. In which to taste all kinds of cheeses both national and European and also international.
The more professional part will be combined with the cultural part, since the different performances and interpretations will be highlighted at different times. Above all, at noon and in the afternoon, when the rest of the programmed activities are finished.
The activities are divided into three blocks: professional activities, with a format of round tables and presentations with a maximum duration of 45 minutes, tastings and product presentations, with a quick format of 20 minutes to accommodate and give visibility to the largest possible number of exhibitors, cultural and leisure activities.
For the development of the same we have the collaboration and participation of the main sponsors of the Fair: Diputación de Zamora, Junta de Castilla y León, Ayuntamiento de Zamora, InLac and Caja Rural de Zamora, as well as all the associations and groups from Zamora.
Children will also be the protagonists of the fair as there are many workshops for them. From milking the cow Florita to baking workshops or cheese elaborations as well as different storytellers.
In the Marina will be Gaza, in the Plaza de la Constitution, workshops on the development of La Antigua Cheese, Slowfood and various organic products of Zamora. In Diego Deza and in the Cathedral will be located the stands of Lactalis and the workshop cuentaquesamos.
Thursday 12
First thing in the morning, meetings with national and international buyers will be held at the Ramos Carrión Theater. After the inauguration at noon in the Exhibition Hall of the Encarnación de Fromago Cheese Experience Quesos de España by the various authorities, who will officially open the fair, there will be 11 tastings and product presentations as well as professional presentations on ferments and technology.
Afterwards, there will be a table on the ‘State of the agricultural sector’ with the presence of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Junta de Castilla y León, Fernando Antúnez, president of URCACYL, and Narciso Prieto of Caja Rural and the afternoon will be devoted to talk about ‘Ferments and technology’, very interesting. Also, the round table ‘Cheese beyond our borders’ will be held with the participation of a delegation from Colombia.
On Thursday will also be held the contest ‘Best Master and Master Fromelier of Spain’ sponsored by InLac, the presentation of the Awards ‘World Cheese Awards 2024 in Viseu, Portugal’, in addition to the delivery of Awards ‘Campaign of Commerce and the Shop Window of Zamora CEOE-Azeco’.
A first day in which there will also be time to enjoy the parades by the Aula de Folklore La Morana and the inaugural concert Luis Santana and Maria Galiana.
Friday the 13th
On Friday, these commercial meetings will be repeated and in this same space, in the Ramos Carrión Theater, the Cincho 2024 Cheese Awards will be held. Also, up to 16 tastings, and the organization of round tables on ‘The Carbon Footprint in Cheese Factories’, by Iberdrola and ‘The role of women in the dairy and cheese sector’.
At the Troncoso, another activity that has been confirmed at the last minute is on ‘Tuning’ by some of the world’s leading tuners such as Marcel Petite, Fromagerie Paccard and Neal’s Yeard.
Friday will be the day that the radio program El Picaporte by journalist Javier Perez de Andres will visit the fair to make a special and also during this day will be presented the Zamorano Cheese Brotherhood, who will be sponsored by the Royal Brotherhood of Asturias in the Plaza Claudio Moyano.
In the afternoon, the ‘National Contest for the Best Cheese Board in the Hospitality Industry’ promoted by InLac and the presentation of QUERED and the World of Tourism will be held. There will also be a round table on ‘The recovery and preservation of livestock as cultural heritage’, with Eugenio Monesma, director and producer of ethnographic cinema. And ‘The role of women in the dairy and cheese sector’, with Maria Victoria Casado, head of the Service for the Promotion of Equality of the General Directorate for Women of the Junta de Castilla y León together with María Jesús Carrasco, academic coordinator of EILZA.
As during Thursday, late in the day, there will be time to enjoy the music of folk groups ‘La Arracada’ and ‘Manteos y monteras’. The ethnographic association Don Sancho and the parades Ronda Ron Duero Folk Group will precede the draw Fromago Commerce and Bar Fest organized by Zamora 10 and Caja Rural and after that, the theater groups ‘Juan del Enzina and Natus’ will perform ‘El cerco de Zamora’ and then the Santaren Folk Concert.
The International School of Dairy Industries (EILZA), organizer of the fair, will have different workshops at its stand on Friday and Saturday.
Saturday 14
On Saturday, the day in which more influx of general public is expected, the day will open with the parade of masquerades of the province of Zamora by the Mascaraza Association. At noon, the parades Coros y Danzas Doña Urraca will perform at the same time that the Association of Bell Ringers of Zamora will make an exhibition.
In the morning, round tables will be held ‘Cheeses with PDO and PGI seal, the differentiated quality’ with Diego Canga, who will also lead the ‘Role of livestock and the Spanish dairy sector’. Afterwards, InLac organizes the presentation ‘Useful tools for the cheese sector’ and to close, the presentation ‘The design also present in the dairies’ with Javier Garduño.
During Saturday there will be 21 tastings among which stands out ‘the great Zamorano cheese tasting’ in the Atrium of the Cathedral.
After that, there will be a masterclass of professional pastry chef Leche Gaza and the Coros y Danzas Doña Urraca will complete the schedule until noon. Already in the afternoon, it will be time for the parade of giants and big-headed Capitonis Durii and the Salamanca Adobe dulzaineros de Macotera group.
The Zamora Music Band parades and the performance ‘Zamora Legends’ and the subsequent concert of the Duero Wind Quintet of the Symphony Orchestra of Castile and Leon in the Troncoso and the Zamora Music Band in the Atrium to end the day will close the program.
Sunday 15
To open this last day, the round tables ‘Benefits of dairy products for your health and cheese’ with Javier Fontecha and Lydia Valentín organized by Iberdrola and the presentation ‘Raw milk and health’ by Miguel Garea. There will also be 9 tastings.
At 12 noon the Tradymupo giants and big-heads will parade and then give way to the cheese experiences and showcooking. Afterwards, the Fromago Commerce and Bar Fest de Zamora 10 award will be presented at the Caja Rural de Zamora stand.
During this Sunday it will also be possible to learn how to make cheese boards and tables. In the afternoon, the associations of Drummers of Zamora and Ethnographic Bajo Duero will perform for the public. Later, the Capitonis Durii Group and the parades of the Zamora Drummers Association will close the fair.
Complete programming
This is the bulk of a complete program that can be enjoyed from September 12 to 15 in the center of Zamora, where it is expected to receive more than 300,000 people.
All the information and the complete agenda is available on the official website of Fromago Cheese Experience Cheeses of Spain 2024: https://fromago.info/agenda/
It should be noted that the organization has pointed out that, even at the gates of the fair, requests for activities are still being received. Therefore, with the aim of enriching the fair, all of them are going to find a place for them so that all updates will be uploaded to the web.
Engine for Zamora
Sara Fregeneda, president of the International School of Dairy Industries (EILZA) has highlighted “the importance for the school of the professionalization of the fair and that Fromago is not only a cheese fair for the final public, but a meeting point for the sector where to put on the table the reality of the day to day and get closer positions between all parties”.
All this without forgetting that the objective is that Fromago is a project and economic engine for the entire province of Zamora.
