Marqués de Mendiola: why some of the best cheeses in the world are made in Ciempozuelos

"The secret is our sheep, they give our cheese that characteristic flavor ... In the market there will be similar ones, but not the same."

and his wife,

never thought they would end up founding a cheese factory when, back in 1998, they launched into the world of agricultural and livestock production.

And, much less, that some of his cheeses, made on his farm in Ciempozuelos, would become

.

With the entry of the new century, this couple realized that the future of their sector was bleak.

.

Hence, in 2013 they began to manufacture cheese under the name Marqués de Mendiola, a decision that was not born out of love of art, as its founder says, but

"I am completely sincere. Unfortunately, livestock is a total ruin. You are in the hands of the industry. They know perfectly what our costs and margins are, and they

. Sometimes, less."

Encouraged to continue in the rural environment and "continue doing what we like" they threw themselves into the void.

And they

as they had no idea how cheese was made.

Almost from the beginning they were presenting their genre to contests, as a thermometer.

Until the mercury rose, and a lot, in 2016,

internationally.

Superoro Medal

They participated in the World Cheese Awards, considered the

of cheeses, where their añejo received the Superoro medal. "That meant it was

. From there we began to get to know us a little more, we began to sell outside of Spain, to make more production ... within which we are a very small family business "remembers Antonio.

Currently they generate

, which are then sold in two and three kilos formats. "In total, we sell

year

. We could still produce a little more since all the milk we extract is not transformed into cheese, but we want to continue like this, slowly and doing it well", adds this Madrid businessman.

In total, its cheeses have been

. The latest, a little over a month ago. At the end of October, they won new gold at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards, one of the most important competitions at a global level, with the participation of more than 5,000 different cheeses from all over the world. Also the top contest, the World Cheese Awards, which was held 10 days later, recognized Marqués de Mendiola. In this they

for their aged cheeses, rosemary and organic cured.

"International competitions recognize some of

" assumes a humble Antonio, who tries to downplay the feat.

And she reels: "We make this product with the milk of our nearly 1,000 sheep, which are of the Assaf breed. The day the milk runs out we will not buy more, nor will we make more cheeses."

Finding employees, a challenge

This important number of cattle, adds this businessman, is not easy to manage.

"The animals eat daily, they have to be milked every day without exception ... and there is a very serious labor problem. It is extremely

."

Even so, Marqués de Mendiola

reaching eight in the busiest times.

It is still a family business with a modest production, how simple is the way to buy their cheeses.

Beyond some specific charcuterie in certain neighborhoods of Madrid, they are acquired in the old way:

to see the genre

, checking its entire catalog of cheeses on its website.

"I always encourage people to call us or send us an email,

to guide them. It is all much closer."

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