Brazil's ExpoQueijo 2026 crowns Minas cheese and Poços de Caldas sweets

The ExpoQueijo Brasil 2026 concluded in Araxá after four days of the largest edition of the international cheese fair, featuring participants from 19 countries, roughly a thousand cheese entries and more than 200 jurors. The event occupied 4,800 square metres, hosted 86 commercial stands and generated a notable boost to local hotels, restaurants and tourism.

Brazil secured the competition's top prize, the Super Ouro, with the Maranata Ouro cheese from Rancho Maranata in Minas Gerais. Producer Henrique Lamim said, "With God's grace, my cheese, with nine months of maturation, won the Gold and the Super Gold," highlighting the technical improvements achieved through feedback from the judges.

At the 4th Mundial do Queijo do Brasil in São Paulo, the Poços de Caldas brand Doce da Roça earned four medals, including a Super Ouro for Doce de Nata com Paçoca and three Gold medals for other sweets. Producer Glaucio Peron noted, "Competing with many quality products and receiving this recognition strengthens and valorises Brazilian producers, especially those from our volcanic territory." The awarded sweets quickly sold out, prompting restocks to meet demand.