A Cheese expo, that starts today, is expected to create linkages between cheese makers and potential markets, organisers have said.

The third annual expo is organised by USAID’s Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II (RDCP II) and implemented by Land’O Lakes.

This year, the two-day expo will be held at the entrance of the Kigali City Tower in downtown Kigali.

It aims to promote consumption of locally made cheese, encourage growth and expansion of the cheese sector, encourage diversification to new desired cheese products, and promote improved product quality and presentation.

"Through the Cheese expo, we want to give Rwandan cheese makers a platform to market a wider audience.

This will help them to access a larger market and creating linkages with potential buyers,” Dr Dennis Karamuzi, the RDCP II Chief of Party, told The New Times yesterday.

"The cheese and the butter cluster (in Rwanda) are quite small but they have a huge potential. So, this expo is about giving them that platform to expand through wider marketing”.

In order to promote Rwanda’s cheese sector, RDCP II also offers local cheese makers hands-on training providing technical expertise and also supports them with equipment grants, and marketing assistance.

According to Karamuzi, after the last Cheese expo, cheese and butter processors were able to link with markets with some processors signing contracts to supply hotels, restaurants or supermarkets.

13 cheese processing companies and cooperatives are expected to showcase their products in 11 categories of cheese and 10 different types of cheese within those categories.

Products to be showcased include hard and soft cheese with the varieties of cheese including the traditional Gouda and newer varieties like Cheddar, Feta, Mozzarella, Gruyere, Halloumi, Ricotta and Goat cheese.

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