The event was organized by the Italian foundation Slow Food Foundation for biodiversity (SFFD), an international movement that defends the world's agricultural biodiversity.

The RMF participated in this international festival along with Darfiyeh cheese producers to present and promote this ancient and rare Lebanese cheese.

Slow Food helps in 'globalizing' artisan traditional produces providing small producers with a greater exposure in big food events. Such events are considered as a very good marketing tool since they are attended by big restaurants, chefs and supermarkets which decide on food trends.

Darfiyeh was very successful at the festival and there was a lot of demand for it.

What is exceptional about Darfiyeh (and impressed the visitors and participants at the festival) is its manufacturing procedure. The making process requires the use of goatskin, salted and well cleaned, as a container for the ripening process. This very old and traditional process was used by farmers in the mountains as a way to preserve goat milk produced only seasonally. The long conversation period of the cheese (up to 6 months) allows it to be available naturally during the whole year.

On 11 October 2005, RMF and Slow Food held a press conference in Beirut to announce the "Sentinelles du Gout" project for the protection of the Darfiyeh cheese. Darfiyeh became the first Lebanese artisan produce in the Middle East to receive the "Presidium" quality level attributed by the SFFD.

The Darfiyeh stand at the exhibition

Traditionally, the Darfiyeh cheese is preserved
inside the goat's skin!

Mr. Chadi Homsi from RMF receiving Mr. Carlo Petrini, president of Slow Food, at the Darfiyeh stand and exchanging views.

Cheese tasting festival!

The Darfiyeh represented at the taste workshops.

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