La Fromagerie Artisanale ETXALDIA Producer from the Basque Country

In 2014, in the heart of the Aldudes valley, a group of breeders gave birth to the Aldudes cheese dairy. This cheese factory was born from the desire of farmers to control the entire process of transforming milk into an exceptional product until its marketing. Today, the Aldudes cheese factory becomes the ETXALDIA artisanal cheese factory. It brings together 35 sheep and cow breeders united in a cooperative called “Aldudeko Esne Kooperatiba” which means the Aldudes dairy cooperative. The ETXALDIA cooperative and family cheese factory manufactures and markets UHT cheese, butter and milk.

An exceptional territory serving exceptional products

The ETXALDIA Artisanal cheese factory is located in the heart of the Aldudes Valley which brings together 3 villages BANCA, ALDUDES and UREPEL nestled in the hollow of the mountains of Lower Navarre. This area stretches for barely 30 km and has no more than 1000 inhabitants. This remote place protected by the mountains where France meets its limit is home to numerous gastronomic treasures: Banka Trout, the AOP Kintoa (of which the valley is the cradle) and the vines of the AOP Irouléguy.

100% local production

Today, the ETXALDIA artisanal cheese dairy, independent since its creation, still belongs to its breeders, but also to a family. The cooperative brings together 35 small farms, all located within a radius of approximately 50 km around the Aldudes cheese factory. This proximity allows ETXALDIA to reduce its environmental impact, to promote a sustainable farming method, but also to limit the time between milk collection and processing. With such a short circuit, ETXALDIA guarantees the exceptional quality of its products.

Handcrafted

With its human-sized workshop, the ETXALDIA cheese factory has the capacity to produce only in small batches. It is this dimension that makes it possible to offer consumers quality products made with care by the 3 to 4 dairy artisans present on the manufacturing site.

Artisanal knowledge and excellent products

Cheeses

ETXALDIA produces AOP OSSAU IRATY tommes as well as cheeses made from sheep's and cow's milk. The cheeses are uncooked pressed cheeses from the Pyrenees, as is customary in our country.

Butters

ETXALDIA offers a range of extra-fine butter. Extra-fine butter is made exclusively from cream that is not frozen, but only pasteurized. Production takes place a maximum of 72 hours after milk collection and churning as well as pasteurization, and 48 hours at the latest after skimming of the milk. The butters are then passed through a churn, which produces a unique and incomparable taste! Everything is carefully carried out in our Aldudes workshop.

Milk

ETXALDIA semi-skimmed milk from the Basque Country comes from the cooperative's Basque farms located less than 50 km from the cheese factory. It is made exclusively from milk from our farms. ETXALDIA is a local and traced milk which helps preserve local and sustainable agriculture.