Queijo do Vale / Queijaria Furnense – São Miguel Island

A young woman, just 17 years old from São Miguel Island, created a famous cheese, Queijo do Vale, which has unique characteristics and a distinctive flavor.

This cheese stands out as it is made artisanally, with the main secret of its flavor being the sour mineral water from Vale das Furnas.

The Queijaria Furnense on São Miguel Island is run by the young woman and her family, who combine marketing techniques with the quality of their cheese to ensure success and attract more and more people.

History of Queijo do Vale

Paula Rego is a young woman from Furnas, a parish in the municipality of Povoação on São Miguel Island. She began creating gastronomic products at the age of 16 and started producing artisanal cheeses at 17. Paula was assisted by her father, an experienced cheesemaker, as well as a large factory on the island to bring this project to life.

Paula Rego – Queijaria Furnense

After the end of the EU milk quotas in 2016, Paula and her family had to reinvent themselves and created the cheese and Queijaria Furnense. In addition to the quality of the cheese, the young woman applies various marketing strategies. Queijo do Vale is more commonly known on the island as Paula’s Cheese.

The success has been significant, and now the young woman aims to establish herself more regionally and nationally before starting to export abroad, for which she has already received some proposals.

Despite being a young entrepreneur with a clear strategic vision and various projects to pursue, Paula does not want to give up on some activities she has been doing since childhood, such as milking her father’s cows.

The Queijo do Vale

Queijo do Vale is not just another cheese. This product was designed to be unique and different from other cheeses in the archipelago.

The main ingredients of the cheese are milk from the family’s cows and the sour mineral water from the Vale das Furnas, which is rich in minerals originating from the Furnas Volcano.

After being made, the cheese is bathed in this mineral water. Additionally, some varieties of the cheese also include oregano and spices.

To reach the final version of the cheese, Paula had to test five options of mineral waters, as there are about 57 types of mineral waters in Vale das Furnas. For this, she received technical and scientific assistance from the Azores Technological Innovation Institute (INOVA).

Paula did not receive any funding; she achieved everything with the help of her family and has already sold thousands of cheeses. Being a new and differentiated cheese attracts the attention of many locals and tourists eager to try the novelty and see if it truly lives up to its reputation.