In and around Cuba, the nickname Pacheco is synonymous with cheese. Good cheese, that is. The tradition began with Francisco Pacheco's grandfather, more than eight decades ago.
Rua das Nogueiras, 4
7940-257 Cuba
How to get there
+351 284 361 046
+351 96 565 3321
+351 96 565 3693
Facebook/@queijariafranciscopacheco
Introduced by
Leopoldo Garcia Calhau, Taberna do Calhau
Texto de Tiago Pais
Fotografias de Tiago Pais
In and around Cuba, the nickname Pacheco is synonymous with cheese. Good cheese, that is. The tradition began with Francisco Pacheco's grandfather, more than eight decades ago. Today it’s his son Vasco, 36, who continues it. A lot has changed in this almost century of history. Minus the cheese recipe. “It's just milk, rennet, and salt. It can only be like that”, guarantees Vasco.
At the Queijaria Pacheco, installed since 2017 in the industrial complex of this Alentejo village, the specifications for the certified cheese of Serpa D.O.P are strictly followed. This implies, for example, that the milk used comes entirely from sheep raised in the municipality of Serpa. The family already knows the producers and have an old relationship with them. They receive the milk every morning, do the pH test, and then get to work.
The experience of those who work there is felt even in small things. “Some people don't even need to measure the salt. The hand is more certain than any scale,” says the official. Currently, nine employees are responsible for production: about 1000 cheeses per week, most of which are sent to retail. Every Tuesday the factory produces fresh cheese, which can be purchased at Pacheco's own - and modern - facilities. “We have 1800 square meters, we are the second largest family dairy in Portugal”, says Vasco with pride.
