Capra Cymru has received a one-star Great Taste Award for its Soft Goat's Cheese, marking the Carmarthenshire producer's first entry into the competition.
The business, based in West Wales, makes its cheese using pasteurised milk from its own herd of goats. The award was particularly significant for the producer because the product was submitted to the competition for the first time this year.
Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and uses blind judging to assess products. In 2026, more than 15,000 products were entered, with 6,188 ultimately receiving one, two or three stars.
Capra Cymru's Soft Goat's Cheese received one star, the first level of recognition in the scheme.
For a small producer, that gives the business an independent assessment of a product it has developed and made on its own farm.
A cheese made from the farm's own milk
One of the distinctive features of Capra Cymru is the connection between the herd and the finished cheese.
The company's Soft Goat's Cheese is made from pasteurised milk produced by its own goats. Capra Cymru describes its herd as welfare-led and produces the cheese by hand on the farm.
That farm-to-product model is particularly relevant to Wales' growing artisan food sector, where provenance can be an important part of how smaller businesses distinguish themselves.
Rather than buying milk from another supplier and concentrating solely on cheesemaking, Capra Cymru controls more of the production process itself.
The result is a product that links the farm, the animals and the cheesemaking operation.
What does a Great Taste star mean?
The Great Taste Awards use a three-star system.
Products awarded one star are judged to be "simply delicious", while two stars denote "outstanding" products and three stars are reserved for those judged "exquisite and extraordinary".
In 2026, 4,286 products received one star, 1,596 received two stars and 306 achieved three stars.
That means the majority of successful products did not receive the highest rating, with the competition designed to distinguish different levels of recognition.
Capra Cymru's one-star award therefore represents a positive first result for a business entering the competition for the first time.
It also gives consumers a useful independent indication that the cheese performed well under blind assessment.
Another Welsh dairy producer gaining attention
Capra Cymru joins a wider group of Welsh dairy businesses receiving recognition for specialist products.
The Local Welsh Food directory includes a growing range of Welsh cheesemakers, including producers making cow's-, goat's- and sheep's-milk cheeses. The Carmarthenshire category alone includes Capra Cymru alongside Bryngaer Goats and Caws Cenarth.
That diversity reflects the breadth of the Welsh dairy sector.
Goat's cheese occupies a relatively specialist position within it, but producers such as Capra Cymru provide consumers with another route into Welsh artisan dairy.
For the business itself, the Great Taste result may also help introduce its products to customers who have not encountered the producer previously.
An encouraging first step
The award doesn't necessarily represent the end of Capra Cymru's development. If anything, its significance may be that it gives the business a benchmark for future competitions and product development.
The company entered just one product and came away with a Great Taste star.
For a small Welsh food business, that provides a useful combination of external recognition and increased visibility.
It also adds another award-winning product to Wales' growing collection of specialist cheeses.
For consumers interested in discovering Welsh dairy beyond the familiar names, Capra Cymru is therefore a producer worth watching - and its first Great Taste Award provides a good reason to put its Soft Goat's Cheese on the list.
Sources
Capra Cymru - Great Taste Award announcement.
Local Welsh Food - Carmarthenshire producer directory.
Local Welsh Food - Dairy category.
