San Luis Potosí Dairy Farmers Shift to Cheese Production

Dairy producers in Mexico’s San Luis Potosí state have changed their traditional business model by making and selling artisanal cheeses on their own farms. The move followed lower prices for raw milk collected at the farm and higher costs for feed, while conventional collection channels became saturated.

Farmers report that liquid-milk sales leave little margin because alfalfa, feed grains, veterinary medicines and electricity have become more expensive. Electricity is used for water pumping and milking equipment. By processing milk into solid dairy products, producers retain more of the product’s value at the point of production and use cheese sales to support the upkeep of their herds.

The new production activity focuses on regional varieties, including fresh, panela, botanero, asadero-style and ground cheeses. Farms have adapted their facilities with curdling vats, presses and brining areas. They have also strengthened hygiene procedures and pasteurisation protocols to meet official sanitary standards and reduce the risk of rapid spoilage in warm weather.

Producers are selling through local shops, public markets, butcher shops and roadside outlets, as well as in nearby urban areas. These arrangements connect farms directly with consumers instead of relying solely on pasteurising companies and intermediaries. According to the report, the sales provide daily and weekly cash flow used to pay rural workers and help prevent dairy cows from being sold prematurely to slaughterhouses.

Livestock representatives say the activity requires structured support from state and municipal agricultural authorities. Their requests include continuing training in good manufacturing practices, soft financing for improved cheesemaking equipment, and collective marks or certification schemes identifying the origin and composition of cheese from San Luis Potosí. They also want measures to distinguish these products from substitutes made with vegetable fats.