Five well-known Catalan artisan cheese dairies have closed in 2026, according to Gemma Urgell and Jordi Bertran of Xerigots, a cheese-maturing business in Vilafranca del Penedès. Their count covers closures known to Xerigots, which supplies prepared cheese to about 400 restaurants.

For local diners and shoppers, the closures could mean fewer Catalan artisan cheeses on restaurant menus and in nearby shops. Urgell and Bertran said the smallest dairies can sell their entire production locally, but costs rise sharply when they try to increase output.

“This year several Catalan cheese dairies have closed. We have counted five well-known ones that have closed.”Gemma Urgell and Jordi Bertran, Xerigots, in an interview published by Ara

High costs and shortages of staff

Urgell and Bertran said the dairies they knew of had closed because their finances were unsustainable, they could not find people to work with livestock, or they lacked the structure needed to run the business.

They described artisan cheesemaking as work that can leave producers without a day off when they also keep a herd and attend weekend fairs to sell their products. They also cited competition from good-quality French artisan cheeses sold at lower prices.

Xerigots supplies cheese to 400 restaurants

Xerigots is marking 15 years as a cheese ager, maturing cheeses before preparing them for the hospitality trade. The company says it supplies around 400 restaurants, including venues outside Catalonia.

  • About 25 of the restaurants supplied by Xerigots use cheese trolleys.
  • Xerigots says five Catalan cheeses are always included on those trolleys.
  • The company cuts and prepares cheese portions so restaurants can serve them at their intended stage of maturity.

Customers who want to back Catalan artisan producers can ask local cheese shops and restaurants to stock or serve Catalan-made cheeses, rather than choosing solely on price. Xerigots said Catalonia has enough variety to make an entire cheese trolley from Catalan cheeses alone.

Reported by mengem.ara.cat, Miquel Cuenca, Trinitat Gilbert Martínez, Ara.