OSSAU-IRATY PDO CHEESE UNION The cheese excellence of Béarn and the Basque Country

AOP OSSAU-IRATY: WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SHEEP

The Ossau-Iraty PDO is the only PDO cheese from the South of the Garonne.

It celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2020. Its production area extends from Béarn to the Basque Country, and takes its name from the Pic du Midi d'Ossau (in Béarn) and the Iraty forest (in the Basque Country).

Its production is closely linked to the history of Béarn and the Basque Country. There are records of sheep's milk cheeses in this region dating back to the 1st century! The tradition of sheep's milk cheese has thus been established over the centuries and today the Ossau-Iraty PDO is emblematic of a know-how rooted in this beautiful region.

Its production is guided by one key word: RESPECT!

Respect for the land, for people, for know-how and, of course, respect for nature and animal welfare.

Ossau-Iraty PDO is a whole sheep's milk cheese with an uncooked pressed paste.
It can be made from raw milk or thermized milk. With a natural, rather light and homogeneous or mottled rind, a white paste with few or no openings, a soft and melting, even creamy texture, it has a light and balanced taste. After a long maturation, its aromas become more pronounced and its texture becomes firmer without being excessive.

It is made with the milk of 3 local, traditional breeds of sheep.

They are Basco Béarnaise, Manech Tête Rousse and Manech Tête Noire.

Perfectly adapted to the terroir, they are able to tolerate humidity. They spend most of the year outdoors grazing on pasture grass. This diet is supplemented by non-GMO cereals and oilseeds grown mainly in the geographical area of the PDO. To respect their natural cycle, the ewes are only milked for part of the year (between December and August at the most). Milking stops for a minimum of 100 days while awaiting the arrival of the new lamb and the start of a new cycle. From June onwards, most of the flocks are led to higher altitudes. This summer transhumance offers the ewes an incredibly rich flora. In the autumn, numerous festivals are organized to celebrate the return of the ewes to the valleys.

The Ossau-Iraty PDO represents an entire sector of men and women who are passionate about their profession.

It has 1,105 milk producers, 166 farm producers, 24 collection companies; dairy and/or farm processing and refining companies. In total, nearly 2,000 families make their living from Ossau-Iraty and contribute to the region's dynamism.

How do you recognize an Ossau Iraty AOP?

The whole cheese will be presented with a gold and red band.
And a hallmark allows you to distinguish farmers from dairymen.

• Sheep's head from the front = AOP Ossau-Iraty farm (made exclusively from raw milk)
• Sheep's head in profile = AOP Ossau-Iraty dairy cheese (made from raw or heat-treated milk)
• Sheep's head in profile = AOP Ossau-Iraty dairy cheese (made from raw or heat-treated milk)

The manufacturing rules are strict and comply with specifications.

Each year, an independent Certification Body visits the operators in the sector to verify compliance with the specifications. The Ossau-Iraty Syndicate also conducts numerous inspection visits. In the event of non-compliance, and if the operator does not rectify the situation within a given timeframe, they are excluded from the Ossau-Iraty PDO. Similarly, batches of cheese are sampled each year from producers and subjected to organoleptic and physicochemical tests.

In the event of sustained non-compliance, the operator may be excluded.

You've got it: there's a lot to tell about the Ossau-Iraty PDO!

Want to get up close and personal with Ossau-Iraty producers? Discover the Ossau-Iraty cheese route and its 125 stops. The 2024 guide, with all the addresses and activities, can be downloaded here. It's also available at tourist offices in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region, at the stops, and at the headquarters of the Ossau-Iraty PDO defense union.

There are several types of stages; some offer specific animations.

• The farms

where you will meet the producers who, depending on the season and their availability, may invite you to visit their farm, watch the milking, observe the work of the sheepdog, etc.

• The cheese factories where the Ossau-Iraty dairy PDO is produced
• The maturing cellars where dairy and farmhouse cheeses are matured
• The summer huts where you can meet the shepherds with their flock in the heart of the mountains (open between the end of May and the beginning of October)
• Farm shops that offer a variety of local products
• The interpretation center in Espelette and Etxola in Iraty where you will discover all the secrets of the appellation and pastoralism

Ossau-Iraty Union - Maison Apezetxea - 215 Latsagako bidea - 64120 OSTABAT-ASME

Administrative office. The public is welcomed at the Interpretation Center in Espelette.