The Adán Martín Auditorium in Tenerife was the setting for the presentation of the Agrocanarias 2025 Awards, an event with which the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-food Quality (ICCA), distinguished the best agri-food products of the archipelago. A total of 146 awards were given to wine, cheese, gofio and cider, consolidating this event as one of the main platforms for recognising the differentiated quality of Canary Island products.
The ceremony, held on 11 December, highlighted the work of producers who, from all the islands, contribute to keeping the primary sector alive and reinforcing the gastronomic identity of the Canary Islands.
A tribute to the efforts of the primary sector
During the ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, Narvay Quintero, congratulated the award-winning individuals and companies for being “the authors of the best differentiated quality products of the archipelago”. In his speech, he highlighted the high level of participation in this year’s edition, with more than half a thousand entries, a figure that reinforces the prestige of the awards, which are now fully consolidated.
Quintero also underlined the role of the primary sector as a transmitter of a cultural legacy that is expressed both in products of millenary origin, such as gofio, and in more recent elaborations, such as cider, which have been successfully integrated into the Canary Islands’ agri-food scene. In his opinion, the key to success lies in the ability to combine tradition and innovation, adapting to new consumer habits without renouncing artisanal and sustainable processes.
Quality, territory and responsible consumption
For his part, the director of the ICCA, Luis Arráez Guadalupe, emphasised the value of the Agrocanarias Awards as a tool for promoting the consumption of local products and raising public awareness of the importance of choosing Canary Island produce. He explained that these initiatives not only boost the local economy, but also contribute to the conservation of the agricultural landscape, the rural environment and the traditions of the archipelago.
Arráez also thanked the technical staff of the Institute, the tasters and the collaborating entities, whose work is essential to guarantee the rigour and credibility of the competition.
A gala with the presence of all the islands
The gala was presented by journalists Miguel Ángel Daswani and Yaiza Díaz, with musical accompaniment by timplist Benito Cabrera, guitarist Tomás Fariña and vocalist Paula Gómez. The event was attended by award winners from all the islands, institutional representatives, members of the Government of the Canary Islands, island councils, professional agricultural organisations, fishermen’s guilds, regulatory councils, companies in the primary sector, as well as teachers and students from the Tacoronte Agricultural Training School.
Record participation and major awards
In this edition, 517 productions took part in the different competitions: 227 wines, 226 cheeses, 41 gofios and 23 ciders. Of these, 146 were awarded special distinctions and medals of grand gold, gold and silver.
In the wine competition, the top prize went to Brumas de Ayosa red wine, produced by the SAT Viticultores de la Comarca de Güímar, under the PDO Valle de Güímar. Of the 227 samples submitted by 60 wineries, 59 wines were awarded prizes.
In the cheese section, the award for Best Canary Islands Cheese went to El Minero, a raw goat’s milk cheese with a coating of ash and Penicillium candidum, made by Granja Ara (Tenerife). A total of 73 cheese dairies took part in the competition, with a total of 226 samples and 61 prizes awarded.
The gofio competition recognised the medium roasted millet gofio from Molino de Gofio Buen Lugar SL (Firgas, Gran Canaria), protected by the PGI Gofio Canario, as the best product among 41 products presented by 11 mills.
In the cider category, La Mirla Sidrera sparkling natural cider, produced by Bodega Castro y Magán SL (Tijarafe, La Palma), was chosen as the best in the Canary Islands, in a competition that included 23 samples and awarded eight prizes.
Blind tasting and promotion of award-winning products
The productions were evaluated by blind tasting, following a system of identification by numerical codes, by a panel of 71 expert tasters specialising in wine, cheese, gofio and cider, thus guaranteeing the impartiality of the process.
During the event, the promotional video of the “Regala Agrocanarias” campaign , inspired this year by the legend of San Borondón, was also shown, which includes an interactive guide to points of sale where award-winning products can be purchased. The Agrocanarias Friendly award, for the establishment with the highest number of award-winning products, went to the De la Tierra shop in the Mercado de La Laguna, which has 78 distinguished products.
The complete list of award-winning products can be consulted on the official website of the Agrocanarias Competitions.
