Carol Quevedo, manager of the CRDO for Mahón-Menorca cheese

Itziar Lecea / Ciutadella – Carol Quevedo Riudavets has, in recent months, taken over the management of the Regulatory Council for the Denomination of Origin for Mahón-Menorca cheese, the star product in terms of exports from our island. With important challenges on the horizon, but with a deep knowledge of the sector, Quevedo tells us this week how the DO is currently.

What qualities define you to occupy the position of manager of the CRDO?

I studied Statistics at university in Barcelona; and when I finished my degree, I focused on training in business quality management. So I have worked within this sector, especially in the food sector. When I returned to Menorca in 2003, I started working in hygiene and health consultancy, where I learned how food safety works. It was also my first contact with the DO. From 2016 until 2023, I carried out audits of cheese factories, ripening premises and all the controls carried out by the DO.

It has made it much easier for me to get to know the environment, the cheese factories, so that I can join the management position of the DO, because I know how everything works inside out, even if it is from a different perspective. The promotion part is becoming more of a challenge, because I was completely unfamiliar with it. It was great that, for a few months, Piedad, the previous manager, accompanied me.

This July you held the XXIV Competition for the best pieces of cheese. Is it a recognized event?

It is part of the promotion, which since 2001 has given this recognition to companies, industries and places for the work they do. It also highlights the importance of Mahón Menorca PDO cheese for the economy of Menorca and the Menorcan countryside. The competition is held during the summer, choosing a town each year for the awards ceremony, because after all, PDO cheese is made all over Menorca. Being a public event, it attracts many people, both local and foreign, and is a good time to talk about the product and give it a taste.

What threats does the DO currently face?

The Regulatory Council of Mahón Menorca PDO cheese has a very consolidated structure that has been established over its 40 years. Despite this, it is important to be able to adapt to what is presented to us at any given time, such as the new tariffs announced by the United States or regulatory changes that may affect us.

What was the latest regulatory change?

Last year, a new European regulation on PGIs and PDOs was published. What affects us the most, within the control task, is the defense of the brand and the protection of companies registered in the DO, so we must be careful that companies that are not part of it want to take advantage of the effort made over so many years by all the companies registered in the Mahón Menorca DOP. If they do not meet the conditions, we cannot allow them to come under a protective umbrella such as the DO.

Has this regulatory change affected them?

It has regulated everything a little more, incorporating new concepts. At the DO level, it has benefited us, because it has defined concepts that were a little ambiguous. This is the case of the online food product market, which was not regulated, and there were many violations.

What are the challenges for the coming months?

In reality, the approach is to follow the existing lines: promotion and control. Regarding the promotion part, we try to retain markets and create new ones; and within control, continue to carry out checks on our registrants to verify that they all comply with the specifications that regulate our PDO and ensure that the brands that market the Mahón-Menorca PDO cheese are protected. Another thing I would like is to be able to digitalize some procedures with our registrants to streamline the work.

Regarding marketing, which markets now have cheese from the DO?

The biggest buyers are the Balearic Islands and the peninsula. It is true that cheese with the Mahón Menorca PDO is sold in 44 different countries (with data from 2024), and internationally the ones that buy the most are the United States, Dominican Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Mexico and France. Within all marketing, exports represent 7.4% of the total.

Could United States tariffs be a major problem?

The data from the United States would be detrimental to us, because we would have to raise the price and perhaps not all distributors would want the cheese at a higher price. This is a market that buys 110,568 kilos of product. It is true that it is a small figure compared to the 2.6 million kilos that are sold in total, but it is important, because we are not interested in losing any market, but in opening new ones.

Do you have any new markets in mind?

It is the brands that are part of the DO, in fact, that set the lines for us to open new markets. They are the ones that guide us to know where they would like to go, and the Regulatory Council takes actions to help them get there. Decisions on promotion are made in the plenary session of the Regulatory Council, but it invites and involves the brands to participate so that they are the ones who set the direction in which they want to invest this promotion.

Regarding the quality of the product, what is the perception within the national territory and abroad?

I think it is very well valued. In 2023 we were the third cheese designation of origin in Spain with the highest sales volume. It is quite important, considering that there are 31. The sales volume shows that the product is popular both nationally and abroad. There is still work to be done. However, we must be aware of the limitations to be able to grow: both the difficulties involved in leaving the island and the fact that the producers are small. The demands on the products are so great that the smallest producers cannot reach them. The same goes for the distribution chains, which are not easy to enter, there is a lot of price competition, and it makes everything complicated.

Sales and export situation?

As a marketing, we are very good, because 2024 was the year that the most cheese with PDO Mahón Menorca was sold, reaching 2.6 kilos of cheese. As for exports, it is true that we have been decreasing them for two years, I understand that due to the international climate. But we hope to be able to increase them again. The good news is that the national market has increased, helping this sales record. We do a lot of promotion work within the territory, and it is clear that these campaigns are having an effect.

Is cheese fashionable?

I think it has always been there. We must know how to sell the distinctive characteristics of Menorcan cheese with DO. The fact of being able to actively participate in the preservation and promotion of a unique and very our product encouraged me to take on the management role. I believe that the stories behind the product are what we must know how to convey to the consumer. Not sell because it is fashionable, but because it has a history linked to the territory that helps the internal economy move, the landscape is preserved, farmers can do work, etc. Anyone can make cheese, but we must know how to explain the charm of homemade cheese.