The project “Kars Cheese Route” aims to promote the region’s tourism potential with its tradition, revitalise its forgotten local products, traditional knowledge and production techniques and transfer them to future generations, and ultimately contribute to local socio-economic development of the region.

The first cheese route of Turkey will be developed through the joint work of universities, NGOs and local producers in the region. Schleswig-Holstein Cheese Route will be used as a best practice while creating a well-established, mapped and registered regional route passing through the regional dairies, and natural heritages of Kars. Kars Cheese Route Experience Atelier will be established, and a tour program will be arranged to the selected dairies on the cheese route. “From Tradition to Future Local Cheese Webinars” will be organised, a cheese inventory book will be published, and Kars Cheese Stories will be compiled.

All related partners will participate hygiene, digital literacy and social media management trainings as a response to Covid-19 crises. Hygiene standards will be identified for the cheese production and placed on the packages with QR codes. Approximately 9 regional dairies producing different types of cheese of the region will directly benefit from the project. A website and a social media accounts and a mobile application will be developed for the visitors of the Kars Cheese Route.

The final beneficiary of the project is the visitors who are interested in cheese production and tasting. It is expected that dairy and cheese producers, accommodation, food and beverage and transportation enterprises as well as local people will receive direct and indirect benefit in the long run.