Canary Islands cheeses win 76 awards at world competition

Cheesemakers from across the Canary Islands have plenty to celebrate after winning 76 awards at the 2026 World Cheese Awards.

The islands’ producers collected five Super Gold, 13 Gold, 25 Silver and 33 Bronze medals at the international competition, held in Córdoba on Thursday, 12th November.

The results, announced yesterday, Saturday, placed Canarian cheeses among the winners at an event that attracted 5,330 entries from 45 countries.

Gran Canaria led the way for the islands with 28 medals, followed by Tenerife with 21. Fuerteventura’s producers won ten awards and Lanzarote brought home eight. Cheesemakers from La Palma and El Hierro also received medals.

Super Gold success

Three of the five Canarian Super Gold awards went to producers in Gran Canaria. They included a mature goats’ cheese from Quesos San Mateo and a cured cows’ cheese from Quesería Artesanal del Rosario.

Tenerife’s Quesería Montesdeoca won Super Gold for its mature goats’ and sheep’s cheese with gofio, while Quesería Montaña Blanca in Lanzarote received the same distinction for its Guatisea semi-cured cheese with gofio.

Gofio is a traditional Canarian flour made from toasted grains and is used in a wide range of local dishes and products.

Fuerteventura also had reason to celebrate, with its Maxorata semi-cured cheese coated in paprika among the Gold medal winners.

The awards are recognition for the farmers and cheesemakers who keep the islands’ traditions alive, and a reminder for residents and holidaymakers that there are plenty of local cheeses to discover beyond the supermarket’s familiar favourites.