Dairy tourism in Priorat

Behind Quesería Linens lies the change of profession and life of three sisters with degrees in dietetics, environmental sciences, and temporary architecture. Elena Orós was the first to decide to change her career. "I wasn't comfortable. I left my job in Barcelona and applied to the School of Shepherds of Catalonia. There, you don't just do an internship, but you also observe many realities, and I clearly saw that I couldn't get ahead alone. I remember that some of my classmates found it difficult to take the step because their parents considered being a shepherd to be a step backward." This wasn't the case for them; their paternal grandmother had been a transhumant from Nou Barris (Barcelona) to La Rioja. Marina and Mercè quickly joined in. Eleven years later, the three sisters can boast of running a cheese factory in Bellmunt del Priorat with a herd of 30 Malaga goats, which will soon number 120. "They're hardy, they give a lot of milk and fat, and they're great for cheese," she concludes. They come from restaurateurs, wineries, and individuals, and through extensive livestock farming, they contribute to building resilience in the agroforestry mosaic they inhabit.

"They don't even look at grass. They like thistles, brambles, and mulberry bushes—anything that pricks. They graze in the forest every day, but they also eat straw from Capçanes and olive leaves from the Raíces de Pep mill, which provides us with fodder for half a year. Local and personalized feeding. "We'll move the herd to the Sierra de Llaberia, in Capçanes. It's a unique and impressive place; we're already overflowing with space in Bellmunt. We'll pass through forest-risk zones." They demonstrate that despite all the difficulties, the primary sector that innovates thrives. At Linens, they make different types of cheese, and the latest innovation is a semi-cured cheese soaked in wine by Josep Sedó, a winegrower: "We soak the cheese [in wine] for a week before it's fully ripe. It gives a garnet color to the skin, and you can taste it."

The future lies in exploring lactotourism in Capçanes, where they'll also relocate the cheese factory: "Bring schools and families to come. We want to explain that behind 10 kilos of cheese there are up to 100 liters of milk, or that goats break down plant cellulose and make fertilizer." They believe that it's necessary to educate the consumer much more and want to explore other pasture areas, among vineyards for example, to create a holistic agricultural system. "It all starts with a baby goat we found on a hike. It still had its umbilical cord. We looked after her until she recovered and made friends with her. It didn't make any sense, we just liked it," Orós confesses. Now they earn a living and the future they have in Priorat is more than promising.