Leartiker Dairy Centre presents its training offer 2025

The Leartiker Dairy Centre aims to promote the dairy sector through a range of services that it offers, including specialised training: sessions to transfer to producers the experience and knowledge acquired through the work carried out over the years in the dairy sector.

This year 2025, we have structured a wide training programme where we will offer courses at different levels and approaches, from initiation in cheese making to the development of more advanced skills. In addition, we will also offer courses with professionals who are world leaders in the dairy sector. For example, in June we will have David Asher, who will give his course on natural cheese making. And we can’t miss the MONS Formation training courses, for which the Dairy Centre has been the state branch since 2020. In this way, we will complete our offer with two training courses on cheese affinage: one at our facilities and the other at their headquarters in France, where Laurent Mons, in charge of MONS Formation, will be responsible for giving the course in collaboration with the Leartiker Dairy Centre.

First semester: Basics and diversification in the cheese-making process

During the first months of the year, in collaboration with Hazi and Artzai Eskola, we will offer various training courses focused on cheese production and the development of new initiatives. In March, we have started with a diversification course and a training on fresh dairy products. In April, we will explore the key steps in setting up a new dairy. In May, we will run a cheesemaking course (basic level) and a second training in diversification.

In addition to these trainings, within our own offer, we will also offer more specialised courses focusing on specific cheese typologies. In May, we will start a training course dedicated to the production of soft cheeses and lactic cheeses, where we will go in depth into their techniques and particularities. In June, a course will be given on the technology of hard cheeses, in which their production processes and specific characteristics will be analysed in detail.

David Asher: Natural cheese production

In June, we will have the opportunity to welcome David Asher to our facilities for a full one-week training course. David Asher, a natural cheesemaker and advocate of raw milk cheesemaking, is world-renowned for his traditional yet innovative approach. Through his trainings, he helps cheesemakers around the world to revive traditional techniques using proprietary starter cultures and natural rennet. His programme offers a new perspective on cheesemaking, accessible even to those with years of experience in commercial production.

Throughout this course, we will explore the main categories of cheeses, as well as fundamental concepts such as traditional starter cultures, ripening ecology and the use of natural rennet. The approach will be practical and accessible, with an emphasis on small-scale processing, allowing the principles of artisanal cheesemaking to be applied. In addition, the effects of cheeses made from raw milk on human health will be discussed, as well as the ethics and current challenges of animal husbandry in the context of cheese dairies.

Autumn 2025: Training and specialisation

At the end of the summer, in September, a course on blue cheeses will be held, which will cover the key steps in the production of this type of cheese, including production and maturing techniques.

In the final stretch of the year, we will offer two courses as part of MONS Training. Since 2020, Esneki Zentroa has been the delegation of MONS Training at a national level, offering training programmes to professional cheesemakers with the aim of deepening their skills and promoting the development of the artisan cheese sector.

In October, the MONS Affinage course will be held under the direction of the Dairy Centre, exploring the fundamental principles of affinage, the tools necessary for it and the role of micro-organisms in the maturing of cheeses. Throughout the training, you will work on understanding the process of refining, its objectives and how to achieve the desired result for each type of cheese.

To end the year, the MONS Experience programme will offer a three-day training in Saint Haon le Châtel, France, at the MONS Formation headquarters. During this stay, guided by Laurent Mons (in charge of training at MONS Formation and an international benchmark in the sector) and the Leartiker Dairy Centre, the participants will visit the facilities and the affineur tunnel. Thanks to his extensive experience and knowledge, acquired throughout his career, the participants will learn the principles and techniques that they apply in their own processes. In addition, sensory analysis sessions will be held, in which the results of the cheeses will be explored, and the perception of their characteristics will be deepened.

All the information about our courses is available on our website specialised-training. If you need more information, do not hesitate to contact us.