World Cheese 2009

Gran Canaria, 1st – 3rd October 2009

The World Cheese Awards, which has been bringing key cheese producers and buyers together for over two decades, will take place next week in Gran Canaria over three days.

This year it comprises three events: the main World Cheese Awards competition, an international cheese congress and the World Cheese Festival, a trade and consumer exhibition.

The cheese market is worth £2.1 billion in the UK alone, and the World Cheese Awards– organised by the UK’s Guild of Fine Food – is the world’s largest international cheese competition.

Over 3,000 cheeses will be judged by more than 200international experts, including leading buyers and food journalists, who will be flown to the Canaries especially for the event.

This will be only the second time the Awards have taken place outside the UK, and Gran Canaria is a particularly appropriate choice. Not only is per capita cheese consumption here among the highest in the world, but a Canary Islands producer co-operative, Sociedad Canaria de Formento was behind last year’s World Champion Cheese: Queso Arico Curado Pimenton, a paprika-coated mature goat’s cheese.

Judging will take place on Thursday 1st October and the major winners, including the World Champion Cheese 2009, will be announced at an exclusive presentation dinner for 500 guests at the Santa Catalina hotel.

A further 400 key buyers, retailers, chefs and opinion formers are expected to attend the World Cheese Congress at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, Las Palmas. This two-day series of seminars (October 1st and 2nd) focuses on how the cheese and dairy industry is likely to develop over the coming decade for both international and Spanish markets. Chaired by Pilar Merino, the Minister of Agriculture from the Canary Islands, and featuring key industry figures among the speakers, it promises to be one of the most important global dairy networking occasions of 2009.

Also new for 2009 is the World Cheese Festival, a celebration of the very best cheeses from every corner of the globe, as well as fine foods including speciality meats, oils and wine from the Canary Islands and mainland Spain. The 500 delegates to the Congress are expected to attend the festival on the trade-only day (Thursday October 1st), allowing exhibitors to talk in-depth with key buyers before the Festival opens to the public (Friday October 2nd, Saturday October 3rd), when upwards of 10,000 visitors are expected. Friday October 2nd is open to both trade and consumer, allowing exhibitors to maximize both opportunities.

"This is undoubtedly the cheese Olympics," said organiser Bob Farrand. "More cheeses and more cheese people will be together in a single location than ever before. It’s a must-attend event for everyone in the business."