2nd Uruguayan Cheese Festival: tradition, flavor, and tourism in the East of Colonia

The festival offers a complete experience: artistic performances, traditional dances, a craft fair, cheese tastings, educational activities on dairy production, and the opportunity to purchase artisanal and industrial cheeses at special prices.

Tourism Minister Pablo Menoni congratulated the work done to ensure the longevity of this type of celebration. "The fact that this event is being held again is already a success. Congratulations on the public-private partnership and for what they also achieved with the chocolate festival, leaving the city in a condition to welcome thousands of visitors."

Tourism, by offering a meeting place that combines culture, tradition, and flavor, adds another attraction to the calendar of activities that promote East Cologne as a destination of choice.

For his part, Colonia Tourism Director Martín Álvarez emphasized the importance of products with identity: "We, through the products that identify our department, generate these quality tourist attractions, the cheese route, the wine route. These are identity products that distinguish our department."

More than a gastronomic event, this festival seeks to position the eastern part of the Colonia department as a national benchmark in two key areas: dairy and cheese, emblematic sectors that are part of Uruguay's productive identity and are developed with excellence in the region.

The Mayor of Nueva Helvecia, Marcelo Alonso, stated, "Today, we are in the Swiss neighborhood, the birthplace of artisanal cheese, and from there, it will spread to our department and the country. It truly will be a place for our municipality, a municipality deeply rooted in its production, and from there, we will enjoy the pleasure of tasting artisanal cheeses. This festival will help us enjoy the flavors and, on Heritage Day, generate our gastronomic and productive heritage in our region, and, based on that, promote tourism."

The event is organized by the Colonia East Economic Development Agency, with the support of the Municipality of Nueva Helvecia, reaffirming the commitment to work together to enhance the economic, cultural, and tourism development of the region.

Gabriela Rostan, President of the Colonia East Development Agency, stated, "This year, we have the unique addition of the Dulce de Leche Competition. We'll have dulce de leche alongside the finest cheeses. The agency articulates all private and public sectors to create these events, which are here to stay."

For over a century, the cheese factory has been the great emblem of East Colonia. It not only represents the productive tradition of the immigrants who founded the region, but today it constitutes a hallmark of Uruguay's identity around the world. The Uruguayan Cheese Festival thus becomes a strategic platform to showcase the best of our dairy production, highlight local culture, and attract visitors seeking authentic experiences.

Including this event in the national tourism and heritage agenda means giving visibility to a region that combines productive excellence, history, and hospitality, consolidating East Cologne as a destination that unites tradition and future.

Source: Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay.