FAMILY TASTE
The passion of Lácteos Martínez for this ancient product started in 1961.
Haro in La Rioja was the place chosen by Jesús Martínez and his wife, Justi González, to start the family business. They both grew up at homes linked to cheese and farming. He helped in a family business linked to the cheese. She combined the school in the mornings with the care of her brothers and of the herd that was composed by 60 or 70 goats. It is logical that with this background this love for cheese, that was elaborated in their families for self-consumption, became a cheese chronicle foretold. A story full of hard-work, perseverance, respect for the raw material, overcome fears, learned lessons and lot of flavour.
After studying for Cheese Master in Madrid in 1956, the ground floor of that modest cheesery in Haro was the small place where Jesús Martínez elaborated his delicious fresh cheeses, curds and butter that were distributed later with the help of a bike in Haro and in nearby towns. In those sixties of a Spain in black and white, hardworking and suffering, the first floor of the cheesery began to be filled with children laugh, vitality, kisses, cheeses and very funny memories forged surrounded of curds. From these times everything remains: the family ties, the flavour, the challenge of innovate, the value of the work, the Sundays loading the truck, the close relationship with the farmers and the commitment with a cheese made with lot of care.
All these values are still intact in the second generation of this family dedicated to the cheese. This generational change happened with the turn of the century. A coincidence that was accompanied by an important transformation in the growth of the company: in 2000 when the cheesery located in the town became too small, Lácteos Martínez opened its new facilities on the outskirts of Haro, in the Industrial Park Fuente Ciega. The care for the product is still the main premise during the cheese making process of the wide range of products.
The small business that the marriage Jesús Martínez and Justi González founded with so much effort more than half a century ago has continued progressing with the second generation and nowadays cheese is exported to more than twenty countries. From the USA, Canada and Hong Kong, to Mexico, Panama, Colombia or Guatemala. In Europe Lácteos Martínez sells in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Romania and Switzerland. A landmark if we consider that many of them are the main cheese producers of the world. With an annual production of around 2000 tons, the values that the Martínez family pass on to each reference are the same: passion for the product, absolute respect for the quality of raw materials, dedication during the whole elaboration process and humility, essential to further improve.
From 2002 the Cheese Master Javier Martínez, second generation, added to the good work of an inherited tradition, a sign of particular identity that turns each cheese into a unique reference.
The natural rinds, the development of mould-ripened cheeses and the olive oils baths are the secret that the most demanding palates truly appreciate. A high quality, harmonious mixture of artisan care and innovation, that is awarded in national and international awards, such as GourmetQuesos, the Cincho Cheese Awards, the World Cheese Awards, the World Championship Cheese Contest, the Global Cheese Awards or the International Dairy Competition.
The small business that the marriage Jesús Martínez and Justi González founded with so much effort more than half a century ago has continued progressing with the second generation and nowadays cheese is exported to more than twenty countries. From the USA, Canada and Hong Kong, to Mexico, Panama, Colombia or Guatemala. In Europe Lácteos Martínez sells in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Romania and Switzerland. A landmark if we consider that many of them are the main cheese producers of the world. With an annual production of around 2000 tons, the values that the Martínez family pass on to each reference are the same: passion for the product, absolute respect for the quality of raw materials, dedication during the whole elaboration process and humility, essential to further improve.