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In Pouso Redondo, in the interior of Santa Catarina, the Possamai family started in 1984 with a single cow and now has the best cheese in the world: Reserva do Vale, an artisanal cheese that surpassed 2,700 competitors from 30 countries and won the world title.
There is a great victory and there is a victory that turns the world upside down. The Possamai family’s is of the second type. A cheese made on a small property in the interior of Santa Catarina was elected the best cheese in the world, beating 2,700 competitors from 30 countries. It is called Reserva do Vale, produced in Pouso Redondo, in Alto Vale do Itajaí, and took the most coveted title in the sector. From one cow, back in 1984, to the best on the planet: it’s the kind of leap that deserves to be told.
The achievement was reported by NSC Total in April 2026 and placed a Brazilian artisanal cheese at the absolute top. At the 4th World Cheese Awards of Brazil, held in São Paulo, Reserva do Vale, from Queijos Possamai, won first place overall, elected the best among thousands of labels from around the world. And it didn’t come alone: the family also won six gold medals in the same competition. “A mixture of joy, pride, and gratitude for everything we’ve experienced so far comes,” summarized the owner Marlon Possamai.
The cheese that conquered the world
The World Cheese Awards of Brazil, in its fourth edition, took place in São Paulo between April 16 and 19, 2026, and gathered around 2,700 cheeses from 30 countries.
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It is one of the largest competitions in the sector in the world, with judges evaluating labels from artisanal and industrial producers from all continents.
Among all of them, only one can take the top title.
It was Reserva do Vale, from Queijos Possamai, that secured first place overall and was elected the best cheese in the world in the competition.
It wasn’t a category prize or an honorable mention, it was the absolute top of the podium.
And the medal harvest didn’t stop there.
Besides the grand prize, Possamai won six gold medals, one silver, and two bronze with other cheeses, such as the Gouda Type, Prato, and Coalho.
It was a sweep that confirmed: it wasn’t a lucky cheese that won, it was an entire cheese factory.
Reserva do Vale: 12 months and notes of almond and caramel
It’s worth understanding what makes this cheese so special.
The Reserva do Vale goes through a maturation period of about 12 months, a long time that concentrates flavor and refines the texture.
The result is a creamy cheese with striking notes of almonds and caramel, described by evaluators as balanced, complex, and of high quality.
This profile doesn’t happen by chance.
The recipe is original to the family and uses milk produced on the farm itself, which gives total control over the raw material, from pasture to shelf.
In the world of artisanal cheese, this mastery of the entire chain is what separates the good from the exceptional.
A year’s maturation is a bet on patience.
While many cheese factories turn over stock quickly, the Reserva do Vale rests for months until it reaches the point, and it’s this time that builds the award-winning complexity.
Quality at this level is measured in months, not haste.
From one cow in 1984 to three generations
The trajectory of Possamai adds even more weight to the award.
Cheese production in the family began in 1984, on a small rural property, with a modest structure and a single cow.
Today, the business brings together three generations and about eight family members working directly on the farm and in the cheese factory.
The contrast is the heart of the story.
Going from one cow, in a corner of Santa Catarina, to raising an artisanal cheese elected the best in the world is the kind of leap that few businesses can make.
It’s 42 years of craft transformed into a world title.
This accumulation of time is an invisible asset.
Each generation refined the technique, adjusted the recipe, and learned from the previous one, in knowledge that cannot be bought ready and is now crystallized in Reserva do Vale.
Tradition, in the case of Possamai, became a competitive advantage.
7 thousand liters per day and 600 animals
Behind the award-winning cheese, there is a robust operation.
The family property has about 600 animals and the capacity to process more than 7,000 liters of milk per day.
It is no longer the backyard setup of the beginning, but rather a sizable cheese factory, capable of combining scale and artisanal standard.
The turning point came from a strategic decision.
About five years ago, the family decided to modernize production and invest heavily in artisanal cheeses with higher added value, instead of just selling milk or common cheese.
It was this bet on quality that paved the way to the world title.
The balance between volume and care is the model’s trump card.
Producing 7,000 liters per day without losing artisanal care requires process, control, and people who understand the craft, and that’s what Possamai built.
Scale and excellence, in this case, go hand in hand.
It wasn’t luck: 30 medals and two World Cheese Awards
The title of best cheese in the world was not a bolt from the blue.
Queijos Possamai had already accumulated more than 30 national and international medals before this recognition, including two World Cheese Awards, one gold and one silver.
In other words, the cheese factory was already recognized in the world cheese circuit, and the 2026 award was the crowning of a consistent history.
Formalization also helped open doors.
The recognition of Santa Catarina cheeses by official inspection systems, as pointed out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, allows artisanal production to reach more markets with guaranteed sanitary safety.
Quality and regularization, together, unlock growth.
This track record explains the victory.
Those who win the title of best cheese in the world usually have, behind them, years of trials, adjustments, and medals that gradually build excellence.
Possamai reached the top because it had been climbing the mountain for a long time.
Why Brazilian artisanal cheese is at the top
The case of Possamai is not isolated, and this is great for Brazil.
Brazilian artisanal cheese is experiencing a golden moment, with producers from Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais, and other states winning international awards that once seemed unattainable.
The country, known abroad for commodities, is showing that it also produces food of very high added value.
This advancement has an economic engine.
Investing in award-winning artisanal cheese is transforming milk, a commodity with tight margins, into a gourmet product that sells at a high price and gains market, including for export.
A world title becomes invaluable marketing for a small producer in Santa Catarina.
There is also a chain effect.
Each Brazilian victory abroad opens space for other national producers, enhances the country’s cheese brand, and attracts gastronomic tourism to regions like Alto Vale do Itajaí.
Reserva do Vale suddenly became an ambassador for national artisanal cheese.
What the Possamai case shows
The biggest lesson is about turning tradition into strategy.
Possamai took a family knowledge of four decades and combined it with modernization, investment, and a focus on quality, and it was this combination that produced the best cheese in the world.
It wasn’t nostalgia, it was tradition used as a base to innovate and compete at the top.
Of course, it’s important to keep your feet on the ground.
Reaching the top required 42 years of craft, five years of concentrated investment, and a structure of 7,000 liters per day, so it’s not a result that can be replicated overnight.
It’s excellence built with time, method, and capital, not a chance occurrence reproducible by anyone.
Even so, the example inspires the entire countryside.
It shows that an artisanal cheese made on a family farm in Santa Catarina can indeed beat the best in the world, as long as there is a true commitment to quality.
From a cow to the best in the world, Possamai proved that the ceiling is much higher than it seems.
And you, did you imagine that the best cheese in the world, chosen from thousands from 30 countries, would come from a small farm in the interior of Santa Catarina? Tell us in the comments if you’ve ever tried a Brazilian artisanal cheese that, in your opinion, deserved an international award.
