2000 The birth of a pioneering project
The Cincho Awards were created on the initiative of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, with the aim of establishing the first major national competition dedicated exclusively to recognising the excellence of the best cheeses in Spain.
At a time when no specialised national cheese competition existed, its creation represented a decisive milestone for the sector, contributing to the promotion of cheese culture and encouraging the consumption of high-quality products.
2004 Technical consolidation and structured growth
After being held annually in its first editions, the competition adopted a biennial format in order to reinforce its technical rigour, ensure organisational excellence and support the growth of the sector.
From the outset, the competition incorporated innovative technological solutions for the management and evaluation of samples, laying the foundations for a modern and transparent model.
2008 International Expansion
Its commitment to excellence encouraged international expansion, incorporating producers from different European countries and progressively extending its reach.
This opening marked the beginning of a new stage aimed at the global projection of the competition and at positioning Castilla y León as a reference region in cheese production.
2016 Modernisation of the evaluation system
The tasting process has been fully digitalised through computerised systems for recording scores, reinforcing the objectivity, traceability and confidentiality of the procedure.
The incorporation of digital tools has placed the competition at the level of the leading international contests in the sector.
2024 Consolidated international dimension
In its most recent edition, the Cincho Awards brought together 1,220 samples from all Spanish autonomous communities and 16 countries, evaluated by a jury composed of 60 judges, 15 of them international.
These figures reflect the sustained growth of the competition and its consolidation as an international platform for excellence in cheesemaking.