Euskal Esnekigileen Elkartea, the Basque Dairy Producers’ Association, is born to unite the sector and promote the consumption of dairy products

A total of 29 milk producers and processors in the Basque Country have created Euskal Esnekigileen Elkartea, the Basque Dairy Producers’ Association. With the main aim of strengthening the sector and promoting interest in dairy products in society, they are also seeking to boost the production and consumption of these products. It is a joint commitment to reap the fruits of the work done so far and look to the future together.

The association brings together producers from the Basque Country, who produce a wide variety of products. This wealth of dairy products comes from a sector that is deeply rooted in our territory: the livestock farmers who produce milk and those who process it. Throughout the Basque countryside, they produce sheep’s, cow’s, and goat’s milk, which is then transformed into a variety of products such as fresh, blue, lactic, hard and soft cheeses, yoghurts and pasteurised milks, butter…etc.

Among the 29 members that currently make up the association, 7 produce sheep’s milk, 15 cow’s milk and 8 goat’s milk. And by transforming the milk, they produce various products; 20 produce Semihard and hard cheese; 15, fresh cheese; 11, blue cheese; 13, lactic cheeses; 7, soft cheeses; 9, pasteurised milk; 2, butter; 3, curds; 14, yoghurts; 3, ice creams; 7, creams; and 1 cottage cheese.

In total, they produce more than 105 different products. Some with milk they produce themselves, others with milk – always of Basque origin – purchased from third ones. The association’s doors are open to those dairy producers and processors interested in joining.

Steps in setting up the partnership

Euskal Esnekigileen Elkartea was born in 2023 from the initiative promoted by five producers to respond to the need to preserve the uniqueness and character of each one of them and, at the same time, to create an organisation that brings together, for the first time, the sector. They began by meeting with various producers, with whom they held several meetings to define the steps to be taken. Since then, the organisation has grown considerably.

This is a pioneering association that brings together Basque professionals working in the production and processing of all types of dairy products and milk from the three livestock species.

Future objectives

In addition to helping dairy farmers, the partners want to pass on to consumers the result of their work: a varied, healthy product offer that is key to protecting local diversity. The work carried out by the first sector benefits the whole society, and that is what they want to show.

This will be its first objective for 2024: to publicise the work carried out in favour of the sector and the autochthonous, with diversification as its axis and distinctive strong point. And so, at the same time, although the work of all the producers is different, to present themselves in a unified way to the rest of the organisations and institutions and to consumers.

  

The association will also represent the interests of professionals in the sector to face the administration and offer mediation to coordinate with the competent health authorities. The entity will function as a platform for the training of the group, working to improve the conditions for the technical and business development of its members. In short, it will detect any lack that the sector may have and will work to address them collectively.

On the other hand, they will communicate the qualities of their business model to the society, also promoting knowledge about Basque dairy products, and disseminating and defending the benefits of their consumption.

They have also created a website to help publicise the work of Basque dairy farmers, so that members, those who want to be part of it in the future and anyone who is interested in learning more, can have it at their fingertips: www.esnekigileak.eus.

Esneki Zentroa’s contribution to the Association

Esneki Zentroa has closely followed the creation of this initiative with which it identifies closely due to its aim of strengthening and promoting dairy activity in society, boosting its production and consumption.

Since its creation, the Dairy Centre has been offering its technical assistance services to this initiative, which is a clear example of the increasing diversity of dairy products produced in the Basque Country.