Georgian Farmer Ranked First Place at Cheese Festival in Italy

A young Georgian farmer from Tusheti has won the bi-annual International Cheese Festival in Italy. 22-year-old Kakha Abuladze won with his Tushetian Guda cheese, coming in at first place. 

Abuladze presented a Guda which had been produced by co-operative ‘Alaznistavi’. The co-operative was founded in 2015 with the support of the EU Agriculture and Rural Development Program (ENPARD).

The festival was organized by the ‘Slow Food’ organization. Shepherds and chefs producing cheese and other organic products by traditional methods were also awarded at the four-day festival and included farmers from the United States, Italy and Cape Verde Republic.

The International Cheese Festival in Italy is held once every two years and gathers hundreds of farmers from across the globe.

The Alaznistavi co-operative farm is located in the Tushetian mountains 2100 meters above sea level, while the cooperative summer pastures are located at 2000 – 3200 meters in alpine and sub-alpine zones. The produce of the cooperative is unique not only due to the technology used in preparation but also because of the rich and fertile soil the region is notable for.

Source: Mtisambebi.ge