ORDIZIA CHEESE CONTEST 

The Ordizia Cheese Contest is held in the month of September, on Wednesday of the Basque Festival Week. We have a written reference that a cheese tasting was held in Ordizia in 1904 and that it continued in later years, but it was not until the early sixties that it began to be held continuously until the present. 

In 1962 the Contest was regulated with some Bases, which have been adapted over time and under which it has been held since then. 

To the contest, organized by the Illustrious City Council of Ordizia and the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia, may only be submitted, the cheeses made by shepherds with RAW SHEEP LATXA OR CARRANZANA, from their own farm and residing and holding the herd in Euskal Herria. 

The Contest is held annually, on the Wednesday closest to September 8, the feast of the Virgen del Koro. 

To gauge the importance of this Contest, suffice it to say that the jury is chaired by the prestigious “chef” of the Basque restaurant Juan Mari Arzak, and the most renowned restaurateurs of our cuisine, such as Martín Berasategui, Pedro Subijana, usually participate. Hilario Arbelaitz, Joan Roca, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Elena Arzak, Eneko Atxa, Mikel Zeberio, José Juan Castillo and so on, usually participate. 

One of the characteristics of the Contest and once the classification is known, the winning half cheese is auctioned, having reached the figure of 13050 euros, money that goes to social works. Another aspect, to emphasize, of the Contest, is the media impact that it has, with the accreditation of 40 media outlets, both state and international, and articles published in international magazines such as "Esquire", Sud Ouest, New York Times, Saveur, etc.

CHAPTER

The chapter of the Guild will be held annually on the fourth Saturday of May. It is the day of the Confraternity, our party, when all the members get together (we twin and fraternize) and invite the rest of the guilds originated in the State itself, France and Portugal who, like us, represent and defend products and events related to the primary sector, from its place of origin.

That day, we praise, and recognize, the works and merits contracted by people and entities, both local and foreign, that for their good work on behalf of Ordizia, the Primary Sector and of course, the Idiazábal cheese, are credited to the appointment of Honorary members.

The new Members of number are also named, who from that moment commit themselves, to the extent of their possibilities, to selflessly contribute their time and work towards the objectives of the Guild.

PRESENTATION AND CUTTING OF THE NEW IDIAZABAL CHEESE. 

From the year 1995 on, during Easter week, “The Extraordinary Fair dedicated to the Shepherd” (ARTZAIN EGUNA) is held in Ordizia. Within this framework, and at the initiative of the guild, the Presentation and Cutting of Young Latxa Sheep Cheese is held at the Town Hall (event, this one, which has led to replications of it in different towns of the CAV and Navarra). The cut is made every year by a famous chef, relevant person or entity. In this act, the cheese factory is also awarded, among the D.I.P idiazábal, which has received the best score for consistency during the previous year. During the celebration of this event, the D.O.P. idiazábal pays tribute to a person, or entity, who has contributed to extolling and / or spreading the Idiazábal Cheese.

ORDIZIA TXAPELDUN CONTEST.

This Contest, has been held since 1984 and it is from the year 2000 when the "ORDIZIA TXAPELDUN" Contest begins to be organized outside the September contest to give more prominence to the Idiazábal Cheese and especially enhance its quality.

This contest is about selecting the best cheese from among those made by the winning shepherds of the September Contest, in the last ten (10) years.

INTERNATIONAL CHEESE CONGRESS. ORDIZIA 

In 2016, we began the organization of a meeting between the different actors related to the production of mountain cheese, in order to highlight these gastronomic gems by highlighting their differences compared to winter cheeses, thus contributing to making profitable the work of the shepherds in our mountains and mountain rangess that with their herds outline the landscapes that we all enjoy and we are proud that they belong to our respective countries. Likewise, it is born with the aim of becoming an instrument for the shepherds themselves that can be used, as a means of communication and a forum for debate in which problems and solutions that their activity poses to them from a socio-economic perspective. 

The following year, and due to the good reception and participation that was achieved in the previous Congress by the sector, we organized again an edition in which we collected a concern shared by the shepherds who expressed that one of the most important issues important to be addressed, was the exposition of the Activity of the Sector to Society in general in order to establish direct and transparent communication links of the reality of pastoralism, safe from stereotypes of all kinds that tend to generate misunderstanding of the activity of the primary sector.

As of the 2018 edition, we have also added two other topics into the congress, such as Shepherd's Cheese in general and Tourism and Gastronomy around the Idiazabal “Quesoturismo”. 

The organization of the Congress from that year on, has the invaluable collaboration of the UPV Summer Courses, which is a very good tool to make known to all those interested in an activity that means so much to the economy, gastronomy and the conservation of the nature of our Country.

ANNUAL TASTING AND PRODUCTION OF CHEESE D.O. IDIAZABAL. 

As an extension of the activities that the Guild usually carries out in its work of spreading Idiazabal cheese, as a vehicle to support the primary Sector and, consequently, of the Weekly Fair in Ordizia, the Guild organizes a series of TASTINGS in order to contribute to the exaltation of such an important product as hand maded  Cheese by shepherds, with Latxa or Karrantzana sheep's milk. 

Tasting is done by the members of the Idiazabal Cheese Guild in Ordizia, who explain what the Idiazabal Cheese is, how it is made and its most personal characteristics, as well as its identification. The raw material, milk, is obtained from the Latxa and / or Karrantzana sheep, which is an animal with little variation over several thousand years, since the Neolithic, shepherds and sheep have followed the old routes determined by the seasons: the high pastures in spring, summer and autumn, the valleys during the winter, in order to take advantage of a natural food that follows an immutable cycle.

During the tasting, a cheese will be made by hand by one of the members of the Guild or by a shepherd of the winners of the ORDIZIA Cheese Competition. Attendees will be able to taste and participate actively, tasting various cheeses of different maturing, following the sensorial definition of the IDIAZABAL CHEESE through 8 parameters: shape, rind, color of the paste, eyes, smell, texture, taste and aftertaste. Knowing them and differentiating them will lead us to appreciate the characteristics of this product, natural, personal and so ours. 

From the beginning we set out, when organizing these tastings, in addition to doing several every year in Ordizia, to organizing them in other territorial areas. Thus, we have carried out tastings in cities such as: Donostia, Bilbao, Gasteiz, Logroño, Benidorm, Barcelona, ​​Segovia, Madrid and so on.                              

Within this chapter, we are carrying out other related activities such as:

- PAIRING OF IDIAZABAL CHEESE AND WINE, a sensory tasting of various Idiazabal cheeses is carried out, accompanying them with as many wines whose characteristics combine and enhance the cheeses tasted.

- GASTRONOMIC MAKING AND PREPARATION IN IDIAZABAL, is carried out by a chef, who makes a gastronomic demonstration "in situ", cooking in the presence of the attending public, various dishes using Idiazabal cheese as an ingredient in their preparation.

- FAIRS, as a consequence of the relationships that are usually maintained with other cheese guilds, we are being invited to participate in Fairs and Markets that are held in different regions. We attended these fairs with shepherds that make Idiazabal cheese, where apart from facilitating exhibition and sales positions, we contribut to putting them in contact with the shepherds and makers of those denominations 

We have attended the Fairs of Hinojosa del Duero (Salamanca), Laruns (Bearne) Ossau-Iratiy cheese and Feria do Queijo Serra da Estrela (Portugal).

- GASTRO TURISMO, at the request of BASQUETOUR, we have carried out various Guided Tastings of Idiazabal Cheese in the Basque Country Pavilion at the FITUR Fair in Madrid,

B-TRAVEL in Barcelona and EXPOVACACIONES at the BEC in Bilbao 

OTHERS

The Guild is usually part of the jury in Latxa Sheep Cheese contests, participates as a speaker in Cheese Conferences and Congresses, supports administrative tasks and attendance at events for the shepherds and cheese factories, promotes the drafting and improvement of the Competition Rules for Cheese, regularly attends the Chapters of other Guilds and also collaborates in the organization of Contests held in other locations.

The Guild has named Members of Honour illustrious characters, lovers of the Idiazabal Cheese and Ordizia. It maintains close collaboration with the Idiazabal Cheese Designation of Origin Regulatory Council as well as with the Artzai Gazta Shepherds Association, HAZI (Basque Government Corporation for the development of the rural and marine environment), BASQUETOUR (Basque Tourism Agency). It is a member of FECOGA (Federation of the Gastronomic Guilds)

It is twinned with: 

- The Rioja de Logroño Wine Guildd 26-9-1992 

- The Cava Guild of "Sant Sadurni D´Anoia" 17-6-1995 

- The Manchego Cheese Guild in Toledo 06-27-1998

 - Arabako Txakolina 21 - X - 2003 

- Gastronomic Circle of Asturian Cheeses of Oviedo 08-02-2014

 - Confraria do Queijo Serra da Estrela de Oliveira do Hospital - Portugal 05-03-2016

Other distinctions to the Ordizia Idiazabal Cheese Guild: 

1996- BEASAIN BLOOD SAUSAGE GUILD, the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia is declared Member of Honour. 

2010- CONFRERIE CORSAIRES BASQUES DE ST. JEAN OF LIGHT: Jesus Mari Ormaetxea, Grand Master is declared Member of Honour.

2014- CHEESE OF CANTABRIA GUILD:  Jesus Mari Ormaetxea, Grand Master is declared  Member of Honour.

2014- BASQUE GUILD OF GASTRONOMY: Jesus Mari Ormaetxea, Grand Master is declared Member of Honour.

2016- EXTRAORDINARY AWARD OF THE BASQUE GASTRONOMY ACADEMY 2015 ”: To the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia. 

2017- BASQUE GUILD OF GASTRONOMY: Snail Prize for Biodiversity 2017, to the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia. 

2018- TUDELA VOLATIN ORDER: Honorary Distinction of the Order of the Volatin, to the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia.

The Board of Directors is currently composed by: 

. Adur Ezenarro, Mayor of Ordizia and President of Honor. 

. Jesus Mari Ormaetxea, Grand Master of the Guild and Coordinator.

 . Leire Arandia, Vice-President, Organization of the "Young Cheese Court" and communication. 

. Jose Ignacio Iturrioz, Secretary and Organization of the Ordizia Cheese Competition. 

. Koldo Iraola, Treasurer and Organization of the Guild Chapter. 

. Manuel Iturrioz, Organization of Congresses. 

. Tomas Bosque Otegi, Organization of Tastings and Fairs. 

. Aquilino Harto, Organization of the “Ordizia Txapeldun” Contest. 

. Jose Ramón Garcia, Chapters, Infrastructures and Material. 

. Mikel Kerejeta, Computer Science. 

. Antton Murgiondo, member of the board. 

. Pedro Mari Arana , member of the board.  

. Felix Murua, member of the board.

. Martín Sagastizabal, member of the board.  

. Arantxa Fernández, member of the board.

. Anaiz Markiegi, member of the board.

 . Alberto Garin, member of the board.