Lactòfils, the Dairy Route, launches with unique experiences for everyone

Representatives of milk production and processing in Catalonia have launched the Lactòfils project, the Dairy Route, to offer everyone enthusiastic about milk and its products cultural, culinary and experiential activities around them. The project starts with 3 separate routes: he Barcelona route, the Girona one i the Lleida one, which will let people meet those who love dairy products and experience at first hand the projects they run.

For the Director General of Agri-food Businesses, Quality and Gastronomy at the Catalan government's Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Joan Gòdia, "the Dairy Route is an important initiative for learning about the origin and quality of a product essential to Catalonia, to the territory and to keeping farms going and preventing depopulation. The sector is going through difficult times and it is at times like these that it matters most to stand together and push forward initiatives like this one, which gives milk its due".

Driven by the Catalan Interprofessional Dairy Association (ALLIC) and the dairy sector associated with the Institute of Milk and Dairy Products, it forms part of the Gastroteca routes promoted by Prodeca at the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda.

The initiative gives everyone access to unique places and experiences for better understanding the world of dairy products and their importance in Catalonia, enhancing their cultural value and giving visibility to everyone involved in their production, processing and quality control.

From family farms to shops, traditional food producers and large producers, dairy enthusiasts — called Lactòfils in the project — can go to the three routes' website, part of the Gastroteca, to see which places and experiences they can visit.

In the words of Gastroteca's manager, Laura Martí, "the routes offer outings to discover the origin of food and traditions across Catalonia. What makes them so interesting is that they let you visit fields, mills, farms, workshops, farm shops, interpretation centres and many other places where the people themselves show us the importance of each of these foods in our territory".

The project is designed so each family can plan and adapt their own route and choose the places and experiences that interest them and fit their available time: a day, a weekend or a longer break.

"We want to start building a unique experience around dairy products, aimed at fans of milk, yoghurts, desserts, cheeses and food in general", explains the chair of the Catalan Interprofessional Dairy Association, Ignasi Sans. For us, he continues, "'lactòfils' are people who enjoy dairy products, both traditional and local and the more sophisticated ones, with undeniable value for our health". ALLIC, which brings together the production and industrial sectors and runs the Catalan Interprofessional Dairy Laboratory, is responsible for guaranteeing the quality and safety of milk and dairy products and is a tool contributing to the sector's continuous improvement.

The dairy route, first hand

The Lactòfils launch featured two local players who explained the activities they run as part of the initiative. Ametller Origen's marketing director, Eva Rodríguez, noted that "at Ametller Origen we run cheese tastings and pairings, always trying to give small producers a presence so people discover the wealth of products available to us".

For her part, La Fageda's public and institutional relations officer in Girona, Mariona Martí, explained that "people who come to La Fageda start with a guided tour of the facilities where they discover the products we make. During the visit they see the farm, the calves and adult cows and the milking areas, but also the factory and the workshop. At the end of the visit they can also taste several La Fageda desserts".

A significant sector in the Catalan economy

Dairy products are closely tied to Catalan food and cuisine, with a strong cultural component rooted in the territory. Catalonia currently has 486 dairy farms with 73,900 dairy cows. In 2021 Catalonia consumed 60 litres of milk per person, 10.3 kilos of yoghurt and 8.7 kilos of cheese.

From an economic standpoint, it is a significant sector: each Catalan spends €43 a year on milk, €21 on yoghurts and €72 on cheeses, according to the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. Against this background, the three dairy routes aim to raise the profile of and give visibility to the sector as a whole.