An ancient journey
The domestication of sheep (ovis orientalis aries) is thought to have originated 8,000 years ago in the region known as the Fertile Crescent (Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia) while, in Persia (Iran), alfalfa (medicago sativa). The “queen” of forage crops, was being developed. Recent studies have discovered that 2,000 years ago, in the Roman Empire, water was used for irrigation. Meanwhile, in America, corn (zea mays) has been cultivated for 1,500 years.
Nomadic peoples wandered across Europe in the company of sheep, a ruminant (herbivore) that provided them with milk, meat and woolskins. Nowadays, there are 1,200 million sheep in the world -only in China there are more than 250 million- and 850 to 900 different breeds are believed to exist, dairy breeds being the least extended.
European traditions
in the New World
The excellent properties of sheep’s milk for cheese production are well known in the European-Mediterranean region (Spain, France, Italy and Greece), where different kinds of cheeses are produced, among which are Manchego, Roquefort, Pecorino and Feta, respectively.
Our production takes place on fertile lands (Libertad, San José, Uruguay). 100% of the area is irrigated with abundant water under a virtuous forage rotation system (alfalfa, corn, barley and soybean). This quality forage is what our large dairy flock (Friesian Milchschaf) feeds on under the best Animal Welfare conditions. Our system guarantees individual traceability of 100% of our animals and products. Effluent management, through a fertilizing irrigation system and electrical and thermal energy production from a biodigester, results in a fully sustainable environmental, production and energy system.
Novel and modern facilities where the milking room is integrated to the flock area guarantee hygiene as an identity feature of all our processes. That is why raw milk can be safely used to produce the cheese on-site with the flavour and aroma that render it a product of excellence.