A semi-cured goat's cheese coated in traditional Canarian gofio from Gran Canaria has been named Best Cheese of the Canary Islands 2026 at this year's prestigious Agrocanarias Official Cheese Competition.

The award-winning cheese, produced by La Gloria, stood out among 264 entries from 85 dairies across the archipelago, with judges praising its quality, balance and distinctive flavour.

La Gloria's winning cheese is made from raw Majorera goat's milk and produced by José Miguel Ortega Suárez and Francisca Olga Pérez Navarro at their dairy farm in southern Gran Canaria.

The family-run business manages a herd of around 2,000 Majorera goats and produces approximately 65,000 kilograms of cheese each year.

This is not the first time La Gloria has received top honours. The dairy also won Best Cheese of the Canary Islands in 2021 with its semi-cured goat's cheese coated in extra virgin olive oil.

Hundreds of cheeses judged

The competition, organised by the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), brought together expert tasters who assessed each cheese for appearance, aroma, flavour, texture and overall balance.

In total, 66 awards were presented this year, including 38 Grand Gold Medals, 22 Gold Medals, and six special distinctions.

The winning cheeses will carry the official Agrocanarias award seal for the next year and will also feature in promotional campaigns organised by the ICCA.

In addition, all accepted entries will receive support to take part in two major international events: the Gourmets Cheese Championship 2027 in Madrid and the World Cheese Awards 2026, which will be held in Córdoba (mainland Spain).

Other standout winners

Several other Canary Islands producers were recognised with special awards:

• Best Limited Production Cheese 2026 went to El Minero, a raw goat's milk cheese coated in ash and Penicillium candidum, produced in Tenerife by Melquiades Ancor Expósito Hernández.
• Best Organic Cheese 2026 was awarded to Aborigen, produced in Tenerife by Jenifer Santos Cabrera.
• People's Choice Cheese 2026 was won by La Candilera Ahumado, a smoked Palmero goat's cheese produced by Moisés Carmona Fernández on La Palma.
• Children's Choice Award went to Julián Díaz, a goat's cheese coated in olive oil from Fuerteventura.
• Best Packaging and Presentation was awarded to La Ampuyenta, also from Fuerteventura.

Gran Canaria tops the medal table

Gran Canaria finished as the most successful island in this year's competition with 22 awards, followed by:

• La Palma – 16
• Fuerteventura – 14
• Lanzarote – 8
• Tenerife – 5
• La Gomera – 2
• El Hierro – 1

The results once again underline the reputation of the Canary Islands as one of Spain's leading regions for artisan cheese production, with locally made goat's cheeses continuing to earn recognition both nationally and internationally.