Know N Cheese new European POCTEFA project

Know N Cheese is a project within the framework of the European POCTEFA programme, which aims to foster sustainable development in the border region between Spain, France and Andorra, promoting economic and social integration through collaborative projects in key areas such as innovation, environment, culture and business cooperation.

What is Know N Cheese?

Know N Cheese seeks to increase the competitiveness of micro-SMEs and SMEs in the traditional dairy and cheese sector in the POCTEFA area. The initiative focuses on generating new knowledge that not only empowers the sector, but also raises consumer awareness of the importance of social and environmental sustainability in dairy production.

In order to achieve our objectives, several actions will be carried out, including:

• Knowledge Diagnosis: A comprehensive study will be carried out on the level of knowledge that both traditional producers and consumers have about sustainability in dairy production.
• Climate Change Trials: Trials will be developed to assess how climate change affects the technological properties of milk and food safety, as well as to analyse the impact of dairy production and processing on climate change.
• Innovation and Sustainability: The effect of applying innovative practices and solutions that promote more sustainable production models will be studied.
• Capacity Building and Training: Based on the results of the studies and trials, capacity building programmes will be carried out for the different actors in the dairy sector and consumers in the POCTEFA region.

First face-to-face meeting of the consortium

Since the launch of the project in February, we have been working to start achieving the objectives set. Last week, we held the first face-to-face consortium meeting at our premises in the Dairy Centre-Esneki Zentroa, a key event to continue on our path to success.

On the first day, we visited the Larruz dairy (Markina-Xemein, Biscay), where we were able to learn about the production process and enjoy a pleasant afternoon in the company of our partners. On the second day, the monitoring meeting was held where we made a detailed review of the work carried out during the first six months of the project. We reviewed the contributions of each partner and agreed on the ways of working for the next semester.

The Consortium

The project, led by the Dairy Centre-Esneki Zentroa Leartiker, will have a duration of 3 years in which we will work together to achieve our objectives with the rest of the consortium: HAZI Fundazioa, Prosumerlab, BETA Technological Center, Institut de l’Elevage (idele), Interprofession du lait de brebis des Pyrénées-Atlantiques.