FROMAGERIE ISTARA

Direct sales and cheese tasting. Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 6.30pm; non-stop in July/August; from May to end of September, also open on Saturdays.

In the heart of the Istara cheese factory in the Basque Country (64)

Firmly rooted in the heart of the canton of Iholdy, the Istara cheese dairy perpetuates the know-how inherited from Basque pastoral traditions. A history written for more than half a century by breeders and cheesemakers who work together to produce cheeses with fruity and typical flavours.

You can discover it nestled on a pretty road between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais. The Istara cheese factory in Larceveau has been one of the beating hearts of the economy of this Basque valley of Basse-Navarre for over 50 years. It is here, behind the red and white facade of a traditional farmhouse, that the good sheep's milk becomes cheese. Following an unchanged recipe: milk, rennet and ferments. And, above all, the work is carried out here in a skilful balance between ancestral techniques and absolute respect for hygiene and safety conditions. Curdling the milk, cutting, stirring and heating the curds, moulding and pressing, salting, the stages follow one another until the ewe's milk cheeses are placed in the cellar for the final stage of maturing. In the vast cellars where they flourish, under the watchful eye of Istara's master ripeners, the cheeses mature slowly to develop all the richness of their aromas

Real pieces of the Basque Country

This mastered technique, these gestures perfectly linked by the 140 or so employees who work on the site and who have sometimes followed one another for generations, are one of the keys to the unique taste of the ewe's milk cheeses produced at the cheese dairy: ossau-Iraty PDO Istara, with its beautiful blond rind and subtly fruity flavour, which benefits from a maturation period of at least 120 days and P'tit Basque, a small tomme with a delicate taste whose finely sculpted rind pays homage to the pastoral tradition, offered in particular in organic.

But this work of excellence would be nothing without the quality of the sheep's milk, collected from some 500 partner farms located within a 35-kilometre radius of the cheese dairy. These producers are proud to see their efforts and commitments rewarded by the prestigious silver medal awarded by the Concours Général Agricole in 2020 for P'tit Basque and the bronze medal for Ossau-Iraty PDO Istara. And by the satisfaction of gourmets who, in France and abroad, discover with Istara the inimitable taste of Basque cheese

On the road to the ISTARA cheese factory

Whether you are a connoisseur of Basque cheese or are looking to discover new flavours, Aurélie will welcome you to the Istara shop in a warm and friendly atmosphere where you will be able to taste not only good cheeses but also various products from the region.

ISTARA CHEESE SHOP

Open all year round from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12.30pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm

And on Saturdays during the summer season from 10am to 12:30pm and from 2pm to 6:30pm.

In the village, 64120 Larceveau-Arros-Cibits

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