Craxi Cheese – FAQ

Craxi Gouda Cheese is an artisanal, raw milk Gouda cheese made traditionally on a Dutch cheese farm. Craxi Gouda natural comes in various aging options from 2 months up to 3 years and in unique flavors like Gouda truffle, Gouda chili, Gouda cumin, Gouda red pesto, Gouda green pesto, Gouda fenugreek, Gouda garlic and Gouda smoked. Each variety is aged to perfection to bring out the unique flavors.

As in the centuries-old tradition of artisanal Dutch Gouda cheese production, our cheese is still traditionally made with raw milk. This applies to both our natural Gouda cheeses and our Gouda cheese with herbs and spices.

Raw milk cheese, also known as unpasteurized cheese, is cheese made from fresh milk that has not been heated before being made into cheese. This helps preserve the natural flavors and enzymes of the milk, resulting in a richer, fuller, more complex cheese flavor.

You must store the cheese in the refrigerator. You will receive the cheese vacuum-packed at home. To keep it fresh and guarantee an exquisite flavor, we recommend that you wrap the cheese in the cheese-paper provided when you remove the cheese from the vacuum. The cheese paper allows the cheese to breathe and prevents it from absorbing other flavors from your fridge.

Vacuum-sealed Gouda lasts up to 3 months in the fridge. After opening, store it in our cheese paper. The shelf life in the refrigerator of Gouda cheese wrapped in cheese paper is depending on the aging period of the cheese. Keep young Gouda cheese fresh for up to 10-14 days in cheese paper and aged/old Gouda up to 3 weeks by storing it properly in cheese paper in the fridge. For the best taste, take the cheese out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to enjoy the full flavour of the cheese.

At home, cheese is stored in the refrigerator and to enjoy the flavor to the fullest, you should let the cheese come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes to bring out its flavor.

Black summer truffle is used in our Craxi Gouda with truffle.

No, in our Craxi garlic Gouda cheese we use the following ingredients in addition to garlic: onion, pepper, ginger and horseradish.

Fenugreek cheese is a type of Gouda made with raw cow’s milk and fenugreek seeds, which come from the Trigonella foenum-graecum plant. The seeds, known for their nutty, slightly bitter flavor, are popular in South Asian cuisine and blend beautifully with the creamy texture of Gouda. This pairing creates a cheese with a rich, nutty flavor profile, where the subtle spiciness and nuttiness of fenugreek enhance the smooth, creamy qualities of the cheese.

At Craxi Cheese Spain it is possible to buy a whole cheese. To receive a quote for a whole cheese wheel there are 2 options. 1, you can send us an email indicating which type of Gouda cheese you want and the place and country where it should be shipped to. Option 2, go to the Gouda cheese wheel page at the bottom of our homepage and fill in the quote request form.

No, we do not use food colouring in our artisanal Craxi cheeses. This is done in the production of industrial cheeses, although colouring has no effect on the taste of the cheese, it is added to industrial cheeses to make the cheese look more visually attractive to the consumer. A good example is the factory cheeses with green or red pesto. Due to the often intense colouring you would get the impression that the cheese is “well filled” with pesto!

Yes, Gouda is known for its excellent melting properties, making it perfect for fondues, grilled cheese sandwiches and casseroles.

Yes, with our unsalted artisanal Craxi cheese, people who need to limit their sodium intake can now enjoy semi-hard, very tasty Gouda cheese without salt. This small Gouda cheese wheel of ± 1 kg has matured for about 2-3 months and is made from raw milk (cow)!

The white dots in old Gouda cheese do not indicate that the cheese has gone bad. It is completely safe to eat and it is not mold. These small white crunchy crystals in old Gouda cheese, also popularly called ‘salt crystals’ but it is not salt! They are actually small deposits of amino acids, mainly tyrosine, that form naturally as the cheese ages. They develop over time and add a delicious crunch and burst of flavour that many cheese lovers enjoy. To us, these crystals are a sign of perfectly matured cheese and indicate that the Gouda cheese has reached a level of maturity.

The difference between old and young cheese is that the cheese loses moisture during the ripening process. However, other nutrients remain present. Old cheese has been on the shelf for at least ten months to ripen, young cheese only for about four to six weeks. As a cheese ages, it loses moisture and becomes drier. Old cheese contains slightly more fat than young cheese, about 10%. This is because there is less moisture (water) in old cheese. This moisture does not contain fat, but the dry matter does.

For our artisanal pesto cheeses we use specially selected herbs. The Craxi red pesto has a spicier taste than the green pesto. The following herbs are used in the red pesto cheese: chillies, pepper, basil, garlic, oregano leaf, and paprika. The following herbs are used in the green pesto cheese: basil, pepper, garlic, oregano leaf, and paprika.

Freezing is possible, but we advise not to do it with large pieces! It may change the texture, making it crumblier when you defrost it. Therefore, we recommended that you only freeze grated cheese. This is handy, because you always have grated cheese on hand for your cheese sauce or casseroles. When you defrost grated cheese, let it defrost slowly in the refrigerator.

No mold should be on Gouda cheese. However, this can happen if the cheese is not stored properly or is left to stand for too long. Not all molds pose a risk. The mold culture that forms on hard cheese, such as Craxi Gouda cheese is not harmful and is a different mold culture from that on vegetables, fruit, or bread, which is harmful! Mold does not spread quickly in hard cheeses such as Gouda cheese. so do not throw the cheese in the bin, but you can cut off the mouldy part. Cut off at least 2.5 centimeters around and under the mouldy spot. Make sure that the knife stays out of the mold so that it does not contaminate other parts of the cheese. After trimming off the mold, the remaining cheese should be safe to eat. Then re-wrap the cheese with a new piece of cheese paper or fresh wrap. If you stored the cheese in a container, clean the container first and always store the cheese in the refrigerator. Important note: Always throw away any soft cheese that has mold.

Yes, if you’re lactose intolerant, you may be able to eat Gouda cheese in moderation! Aged Gouda, like many aged cheeses, typically has very low lactose levels because most of the lactose is broken down during the aging process. Cheeses aged over several months, including Gouda, Parmesan, and Cheddar, usually contain less than 0.1 grams of lactose per serving, making them easier for many lactose-intolerant people to digest. However, everyone’s tolerance levels are different, so you may want to start with a small amount to see how your body responds. For a more lactose-free experience, choose aged Gouda varieties (6 months or older) over young Gouda, as they tend to have lower lactose content.

If you have a milk allergy, it’s best to avoid Gouda cheese made from cow’s milk. Unlike lactose intolerance, which is an inability to digest lactose (a sugar in milk), a milk allergy involves an immune response to milk proteins, such as casein or whey, which are present in all cow’s milk products, including Gouda. Even aged cheeses retain these proteins, so consuming Gouda could trigger an allergic reaction. For alternatives, look for cheese made from non-dairy sources, or consult with your doctor or allergist for safe dairy-free options.

You can find us at Mercado de la Merced and Mercado de Huelin in Málaga, Spain. Alternatively, order online via our webshop.

Craxi cheese shop Mercado de la merced, Stall, 14: Shop hours Tues-Sat, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm (Closed Mon & Sun). Address: C/ la Merced, 4, Distrito Centro, 29012 Málaga, Spain.

Craxi cheese shop Mercado de Huelin, Stall 7-8: Shop hours Tues-Sat, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm (Closed Mon & Sun). Address: C. la Hoz, 37, Carretera de Cádiz, 29002 Málaga, Spain.

Your online cheese order will be delivered to your home with SEUR Frío (refrigerated transport) on the Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal.

Delivery time is 1-3 days after receiving your online order (Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal). Of course we will let you know when your cheese order is on its way, you will then receive an email.

Our carrier that delivers your cheese order to your home on the Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal is SEUR Frío (refrigerated transport)

Shipping costs vary per order amount. We deliver to the Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal. Please see our Shipping Costs page for more information. If you would like to receive the cheese at a different location than indicated above, please contact us first!

All cheese orders destined for the Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal over 80 euros qualify for free shipping.

Your cheese order will be freshly cut and vacuum packed in the morning at our location in Malaga city on the day of dispatch. Early afternoon your cheese order will be collected from us by SEUR Frío (refrigerated transport). The cheese will be delivered to your home within 24 hours.

The prices shown in the Craxi cheese webshop include VAT.

You can only place an order via the webshop if the delivery address is on the Spanish peninsula or a delivery address on the mainland of Portugal. Do you want to receive our cheese at another destination? That is possible, but please contact us first!

Please see our Refund & Returns Policy page for more information.

Yes, we offer Craxi cheese E-gift cards in our cheese webshop.

The Craxi Cheese E-gift card is valid for 6 months.

No problem! You can enter an alternative delivery address when placing your order.

Yes, cheese deliveries on Saturdays on the Spanish peninsula and mainland Portugal are possible if we receive your online cheese order before 12 noon on Thursday! Your cheese order will then be freshly cut and vacuum sealed on Friday morning and picked up by the carrier. The cheese will then be delivered to your home on Saturday by refrigerated transport before 1:30 PM.

As standard, we send a piece of cheese paper for each piece of cheese. Your cheese stays fresh longer in cheese paper.

3 months, if stored refrigerated.

In our Craxi cheese webshop you can easily and safely order your Gouda cheese online. If you want to order in a different way, that is also possible! Feel free to contact us.

If you have a complaint about our products or services, you can contact us via our contact form. You will receive a response from us within 1 working day of receiving the complaint.