Prêmio Queijo Brasil 2026 lifts small Brazilian cheese makers

The IX Prêmio Queijo Brasil 2026, held in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, showcased cheeses from small producers across Brazil. Members of the Associação das Pequenas e Médias Indústrias de Laticínios do Rio Grande do Sul (Apil) earned 57 awards – 18 gold, 29 silver and 10 bronze – including a Seleção Queijista award for Pomerano’s Requeijão Cremoso and the Best Cheese of Rio Grande do Sul title for Dalaio Queijos’ Queijo Montanhês. Apil vice‑president Daniel Cichelero said, "It is important to participate in these contests to show that Rio Grande do Sul has quality products," adding that such recognition helps raise the profile of the state’s dairy goods.

In the same competition, a blue‑mold goat cheese called “Aventureiro” from São João do Cariri, Paraíba, produced by caprine farmer Renato Brito, won the gold medal in the Mofo Azul category. Brito, who raises about 20 goats and makes roughly 15 kg of cheese per month, hopes to obtain national sanitary approval to commercialize the award‑winning cheese nationwide.