Villa María opens entries for national dairy competition
Villa María will host the fourth edition of the National Competition for Cheese, Butter and Dulce de Leche of the Central Region at the city’s Civic Centre. The event is scheduled for November 25th and 26th, 2026, while its awards ceremony will take place in the city of Córdoba on December 10th.
The competition is open to dairy small and medium-sized enterprises from anywhere in Argentina. Organisers say the contest will use competition and technical assessment to support quality, innovation and greater value added in dairy production.
Cheese categories lead the programme
Cheese will account for most of the competition, with 19 categories covering soft, semi-hard and hard varieties. The programme also includes stretched-curd cheeses, flavoured products and cheeses made from special types of milk.
Two additional categories will assess dulce de leche, while another will be devoted to butter. The organisers have therefore included products beyond cheese that are associated with Argentina’s dairy industry.
Technical assessment and organisers
Specialists from the Escuela Superior Integral de Lechería, known as ESIL, will direct the technical review. Samples will be compared within similar categories, with the assessment providing a reference for product-quality attributes.
The competition is being organised by the governments of Córdoba, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, together with ESIL and the Association of Small and Medium-sized Dairy Enterprises, or APYMEL. Villa María will again host the judging sessions, reflecting the involvement of the three Central Region provinces.
Registration and awards
Companies must register through the competition’s official website by November 16th and submit the required health documentation. The call is aimed in particular at smaller producers of cheese, butter and dulce de leche.
The organisers also present the event as a way for participating businesses to review production methods, identify differences between products and compare their output with that of other companies. Results will be released after the November technical sessions, and the winners will receive their awards in December.
