20 years. In 2022, we look forward to celebrating 20 years of Quesería La Antigua with you. This is not just another year for us. We celebrate 20 years of tradition, 20 years of quality, 20 years of know-how, 20 years of experience, of emotions, of innovation, of design, of cheese and 20 years of family. The name we have chosen to celebrate this anniversary is “20Contigo”, a concept that aims to express the need to align the commitments and efforts made by our great family, but with you as the protagonist of our story.
you being the protagonist of our story
. With you our daily life has been easier, with you we have innovated our artisan cheeses, with you we have discovered the importance of tradition and passion. Let’s celebrate 20Contigo, and go for another 20.
20 years ago…
More than 25 years ago, Jesús Cruz, a professional related to the dairy world, and Fernando Fregeneda, who comes from a family of 5 generations of shepherds and who took care of his sheep until he was 25 years old, started Gestión Agro Ganadera, in order to work hand in hand with the shepherds of the area and distribute their sheep’s milk to the areas where production was scarce. After becoming a benchmark in the dairy sector in Castilla y León, at 2002 Quesería La Antigua was born with the illusion of creating the same cheeses that Fernando had eaten at home since he was a child, made with fresh milk from his father Toño’s sheep and elaborated at home by his mother Claudia. A new line of business dedicated to the artisanal production of sheep cheese of the highest quality. In 2002, 20 years ago, they completely renovated an old and prestigious cheese factory in the town of Fuentesaúco, Zamora, a province where the most famous and richest regional cheeses have always been produced. Little by little we have been growing, founding a brand that transmits our soul, transmitting the passion for our origin, creating a family of more than 30 people, betting on innovation, design and quality…
2002 was undoubtedly an important year and not only for us with the birth of Quesería La Antigua. A total of 270 thousand tons of cheese were produced and 50 thousand tons were exported. 15 thousand tons were of PDO cheese. Euro banknotes and coins are put into circulation in 12 of the 15 European Union countries. In the same year, Salamanca was designated, together with the Belgian city of Bruges, European City of Culture, with the celebration of 1,101 events that attracted two million attendees and more than 2,000,000 visitors.he Arribes del Duero National Park was created, to which 37 municipalities in the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca belong. These are some of the events that took place in 2002. It seems like yesterday but… two decades have already passed.
Present of Quesería La Antigua
Undoubtedly, laying the foundations of any company is not an easy job, but when you put your heart and soul into it, the path is less arduous. And so, with values and motivations, having very clear that we wanted to return to the tradition of our hands creating, from sheep’s milk, the best cheese, with the best cheese, with the best flavor and the best taste. reasons and principles that went beyond the commercial offer, Quesería La Antigua was born on October 2, 2002.
Step by step, in La Antigua we have been making a place for ourselves among the most renowned artisan cheeses in the countryA merit based on tradition, on quality raw materials, on enthusiasm, on the passion that can be felt in each of our raw sheep’s milk cheeses. In these 20 years, we have been forging the mission and vision of this family business. We work to promote a
Sustainable Agri-Food Chain
and we are committed to the Total Quality model. We have strengthened our business model through the integral development of our human talent, customers and suppliers in a sustainable and sustainable manner. We believe in our commitment to our customers, providing them with quality products; to society, providing stability to the families of our workers, and to the environment, complying with the regulations established for its care.
Those of you who know us, know of the interest that the Quesería La Antigua family has had in bringing cheese culture to all corners of the world. The little ones are our best ambassadors and that is why, despite the pandemic, we could not miss these workshops that aim to take a tour through the cheese making process, from the beginning: Where does the milk come from? until the cheese arrives in the supermarkets, we buy it and enjoy it in a good sandwich of fresh bread for a snack. The present of our company is to continue to spread the culture of something as much ours as cheese and this year 2022 we return to the classrooms of Salamanca and Zamora to teach schoolchildren in Castilla y León to make cheese with their own hands. In addition, and with all the sanitary safety measures, we have opened the doors of our factory so that you can enjoy a guided tour to learn firsthand how we make our sheep cheeses, from the moment we collect the milk to the cheese ripening process and its distribution. If you want to feel and discover how sheep cheese is made, we recommend you to book an appointment (also for groups) at the following e-mail: turismo@queserialaantigua.com
But we have many more projects and illusions, such as the participation in Fromago, an integrating project of transversal character that places Zamora as a reference space for cheese and the sheep sector at national and international level. The main event will be an international cheese market that will take place in the streets of Zamora and will include the participation of local, national and international producers.
Future of Quesería La Antigua
The objective of this 20th anniversary is to share with all our clients and friends our experience, trajectory and passion that we put into our work, as well as our commitment to society and the environment that surrounds us. 2022 will be a year full of experiences that celebrate our trajectory. And for this, we have already begun to raise foundations, and this time in a literal way.
Quesería La Antigua grows with you
and with your needs, and among the most important projects is the expansion of our facilities and the creation of about 20 jobs. The commitment to the rural environment and its people is real in our company.
And with many future plans, but without forgetting the memories that have moved us… the friendships we have forged… the experiences we have shared together, we want you to continue to be part of our history. We are already prepared and there is a special place for you.
