Prados de Melgaço

“We are originally from Melgaço. We left, studied, worked elsewhere, and were somewhat settled in the Vila Nova de Gaia area, but we were always living out of suitcases,” says Verónica Solheiro, a biochemistry graduate and owner of Prados de Melgaço, along with her husband, Marco Sousa.

The arrival of their first child intensified their desire to return home and launch their own business. “We’ve always had a strong connection to animals—not specifically goats,” she says, but the local tradition inspired them to take on the challenge. “In Melgaço, herds have traditionally been mostly goats, and the municipality’s signature dish is goat. We thought that if cheese had ever been made here, it would surely be goat cheese,” she explains.

Due to their lack of experience and the limited tradition of goat cheese production in the region, the business began in a very experimental way. “We received support from people working in the field who had experience in cheese production and raising animals,” she notes. Their efforts paid off: Prados de Melgaço cheeses began production in March 2015 and were introduced to the public at the Festa do Alvarinho de Melgaço in May of the same year.

Their goat farming started in 2014 with 220 animals, and today they have around 350. “They are of a breed from southern Spain, the Murciano-Granadina, known for the quality of its milk. It’s rich in protein and fat, which was essential for us to make cheese. Additionally, in terms of physical resilience, it’s a breed that could better adapt to Melgaço’s conditions.” Raised with care, well-fed, and milked automatically once or twice a day, the goats are the heart of their production.

After milking, the milk enters a closed system (goat milk has the particularity of “absorbing all surrounding odors and flavors”), is chilled as quickly as possible to prevent bacterial growth, and then sent to the dairy. It’s there that the brand’s ten varieties of cheese are produced, all without additives or preservatives, with some repeatedly winning awards. “The factory process is very slow. It takes about four hours to have the cheese ready to place in molds.”

The cured cheeses (standard cured, long-cured, and Paprika and Alvarinho varieties) are among the most popular, but there’s a wide range to suit all tastes: fresh cheese, spreadable cheese, creamy goat cheese, goat Camembert with Alvarinho, and even cheese with smoked pork neck—the latest addition, developed in partnership with Quinta do Fumeiro.