The Rubicón cheese factory was born as a result of the drought that hit Lanzarote in the 60s. The grandparents of the Reyes sisters, Pepe and María Teresa, were dedicated to the field, "they grew onions, tomatoes, grapes, and potatoes and also had a few goats," shares Claudia.
The scarcity of rain led them to focus on the livestock part and little by little they acquired more animals. The sons helped the father milk and transport the milk, while the daughters helped the mother in the cheese making: "They took the milk cans full of milk to my grandmother by donkey to make cheese at home".
A little over ten years ago, sisters Claudia and Delia Reyes took the reins of the family business, the Rubicón cheese factory, and they have just won the Young Entrepreneur award from the Asociación Pueblo Maho.
Although they always remember that the real entrepreneurs were their grandparents and that later it was their father Jorge and their uncle Fernando, who boosted the cheese factory, they admit to feeling very proud and grateful for the recognition.
In fact, although they were always linked to the primary sector, nothing seemed to indicate that they would dedicate themselves to it when they started their studies: "We didn't imagine it".
Delia Reyes graduated in Naval Engineering and Maritime Transport and worked on container ships in the Mediterranean. For her part, Claudia studied Tourism and Marketing, and worked in the hotel sector in Germany and in children's camps in France.
Maintaining tradition and bringing it to the 21st century
“We are very proud to keep this tradition alive, we want to maintain the essence of the traditional and family business, because it is part of our culture and our identity”.
But they have also brought innovations from the 21st century. “We use social media, where we make ourselves quite known. We show what our work is like so that people can see what we do daily in a very close way”.
The Rubicón Cheese Factory is small, it has between 300 and 400 head of livestock, and it sells all its cheese in Lanzarote. Most of it is sold in the cheese factory's shop at Plaza de San Marcial 22 in Femés, although it can also be found in the gourmet shop Algomás in Arrecife, in the butcher shop La Isla in San Bartolomé, and in Chacón supermarkets.
The store of the Reyes sisters opens from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00 and on Saturdays from 12:00 to 14:00. “We have created a pleasant space in the store so that people can visit us and try the cheeses and get to know us, not just buy”.
News in 2027 and a call to the youth of Lanzarote
“We are always trying to do little things, workshops, tastings with artisanal breweries, or with wineries from people who are also in the artisanal sector. We think it's a great plan to combine cheese and wine tastings with craft workshops like candles, braided bracelets, hats…”
For 2027, they also want to launch an experience at the livestock farm “so that people can go to milk, make their cheese, see the production room and participate in the process”.
When asked what she likes most about her job, Claudia Reyes explains that she is very happy to maintain a family tradition that is part of our culture and that fight to maintain our identity”.
Reyes does not hide the difficulties such as “the high cost of feed for livestock, maintaining livestock is costly, transportation and many other resources that are necessary to maintain the farm”.
But she encourages the young people of Lanzarote to join the sector because "by supporting each other, training ourselves and innovating, we can continue to grow and offer opportunities for new generations".
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