Argentina’s dairy tradition is reaching new international markets through a combination of family heritage, technological innovation, and a commitment to quality. Capilla del Señor, the company behind the Lombarde brand, has completed its first export to the United Arab Emirates, shipping 1,000 kilograms of lactose-free mozzarella and provolone to Dubai through its local distributor, Las Pampas.
In this exclusive interview with LatinGulf.ae, Álvaro Ignacio Ugartemendia, who leads the company, discusses the significance of this milestone, the collaboration with Argentina’s National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) that helped bring its lactose-free cheeses to market, and the opportunities he sees across the Gulf region.
Beyond the commercial achievement, Ugartemendia shares a deeply personal story connecting generations of dairy farming, the origins of Argentina’s iconic provoleta cheese, and the ambition to transform local traditions into internationally competitive products. For Lombarde, the move into the UAE represents more than a new export destination: it is an opportunity to bring Argentine craftsmanship, innovation, and identity to consumers around the world.
Your company has just completed its first export to the United Arab Emirates, featuring lactose-free provolone and mozzarella. How did the opportunity to enter the Dubai market arise, and what does this milestone represent for Capilla del Señor and its Lombarde brand?
Reaching Dubai represents a very important step for our company. We are bringing high-quality Argentine products to a demanding international market with a proposition that combines milk production, cheese-making tradition, technological innovation, and added value.
The opportunity materialized through Las Pampas, our distributor in the United Arab Emirates. We believe its market knowledge, track record, and commercial experience are essential to developing Lombarde in Dubai. Having a local partner who understands buyers, distribution channels, and market characteristics is a strategic advantage. Our intention is to build a sustainable presence and a long-term commercial relationship together.
In this first shipment, we exported 1,000 kilograms of lactose-free Lombarde mozzarella and lactose-free stretched-curd provolone, known in Argentina as provoleta—the cheese traditionally served alongside Argentine grilled meat at an asado.
Today, this traditional product is reaching Dubai with a technological advantage developed in collaboration with INTI: Lombarde is a high-quality cheese that is also lactose-free.
For us, this export demonstrates that a family-owned SME from Argentina’s interior can preserve its identity, innovate, and compete internationally. We want consumers and food-service professionals in the UAE to discover our products and, together with Las Pampas, develop new commercial opportunities.
The development of your lactose-free cheeses involved collaboration with the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI). How important was this partnership in transforming technological innovation into competitive products with export potential?
Our collaboration with INTI was fundamental in transforming a need and an innovative idea into a concrete, high-quality industrial product capable of competing in international markets.
We worked with INTI’s Dairy Center on the development and validation of the production process, evaluating milk production, cultures, manufacturing methods, lactose evolution, and the conditions required to achieve the characteristics we were looking for.
From the beginning, we had one guiding principle: innovate without compromising the quality of the original product. We wanted our Lombarde mozzarella and stretched-curd provolone to retain their original characteristics and traditional flavors.
That quality begins with how we feed our animals in the alfalfa fields of the Argentine Pampas, which gives our milk a distinctive flavor and quality. It continues through the careful handling of the milk, efficient production processes, and rigorous logistics and quality control. These are essential elements of the value we deliver, while incorporating the additional benefit of being lactose-free.
This matters because we are not offering a lower-quality alternative. We are producing high-quality cheeses that expand consumer choice. Someone who is lactose intolerant can enjoy them, while someone without that intolerance can choose them simply because they appreciate a high-quality product with the natural dairy flavors of the countryside.
Achieving this result requires rigorous management throughout the entire production chain, from milk production and preservation to manufacturing and the corresponding quality controls. This ensures compliance with the applicable requirements for lactose-free products while safeguarding full traceability.
This innovation, which was also recognized by the Ministry of Production of the Province of Córdoba, allows us to differentiate ourselves commercially and offer an attractive value proposition to demanding markets such as the United Arab Emirates.
It also demonstrates something we deeply believe in: companies do not need to develop all their knowledge in isolation. When industrial experience, government institutions, technological research, and the capabilities of organizations such as INTI, INTA, and universities come together, the results can generate significant added value for national production.
For us, innovation means precisely that: transforming knowledge into practical solutions, creating development opportunities, and producing goods capable of competing on the strength of their quality and differentiation.
The United Arab Emirates represents a strategic gateway to the Middle East and other regions. What opportunities do you see for Argentine dairy products in the Gulf, and what are the main challenges small and medium-sized enterprises face when entering this market?
We believe there are promising opportunities for our products in Middle Eastern and other international markets, particularly when we can work with distributors such as Las Pampas and differentiate ourselves through quality, innovation, added value, and, above all, a more human-centered approach to business management.
Dubai is particularly attractive because of its vibrant food scene, diverse consumer base, and the opportunity to introduce our cheeses to fine-dining professionals, distributors, and importers seeking quality products and reliable suppliers.
Our lactose-free mozzarella and stretched-curd provolone combine three distinctive attributes: the way we produce our milk, the quality of a good cheese, and a technological feature that broadens its potential consumer base.
Added to this is our heritage. We are third-generation dairy farmers and first-generation cheese producers, with roots in one of Argentina’s largest milk-producing regions and within the country’s leading cheese-making region.
On our farms, our animals are raised in pasture-based systems, with access to alfalfa fields and open pastures. This connection to the land and to milk production is part of our identity as a company and of the story we want to share with our international customers.
However, entering a market such as the UAE presents significant challenges. We must understand consumer preferences and the specific characteristics of each commercial channel.
That is why we see Las Pampas as much more than a customer who purchased our products. It is a strategic partner. Its knowledge of the local market can help us present our products appropriately, identify opportunities, and build sustainable, long-term commercial relationships.
Our intention is to consolidate our presence in Dubai, learn from the market’s response, assess new opportunities, and eventually expand into other Gulf countries.
We have the capacity to produce foods with significant added value. Our main challenge is to continue developing products that incorporate knowledge, technology, and differentiation. We believe we can compete internationally by combining animal welfare, quality, innovation, efficiency, and, above all, commercial relationships built on TRUST.
Your company has developed commercial relationships with several international markets. How has your international expansion evolved, and what lessons from those experiences will be essential in consolidating Lombarde’s presence in the United Arab Emirates?
We have been exporting since 2007 and have reached markets such as South Korea, Russia, and Taiwan. In early 2012, we became the first Argentine company to export cheese to China. We have also exported to Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, and other countries.
We have carried out exports directly under our Lombarde brand and have also manufactured products for third parties under the brands of other Argentine dairy companies.
For me, the story of provoleta is much more than the story of a cheese. It is a story of family, roots, and passion for what we do.
It began in Arroyo Algodón with Don Natalio Alba, an Italian immigrant who successfully combined his cheese-making culture with Argentina’s tradition of asado, or grilled meat.
His factory stood beside my family’s land. The tree-lined avenue he planted more than two kilometers long is still there today. He planted it so my grandfather could bring him milk in a horse-drawn cart, protecting it from the sun. Whenever I remember that story, I feel that a part of my grandfather is still present in this journey.
Years later, as a third-generation dairy farmer, I had the opportunity to reopen that factory alongside other producers and Don Natalio’s grandchildren. That was where I took my first steps as an industrial producer, making the same provoleta that has become part of our identity.
Over time, we moved our project to Villa María, developing Capilla del Señor and our Lombarde brand without losing sight of our origins or our commitment to quality.
Today, working with INTI, we continue to innovate by offering lactose-free provoleta that preserves its essence while allowing more people to enjoy this Argentine classic.
For me, every provoleta carries a part of our history: my grandfather’s milk, Don Natalio’s legacy, and the dream of transforming our roots into the future.
Our export journey, which began in 2007, has taught us that entering new markets requires much more than having a good product. It demands consistency, adaptability, trust, and, above all, the ability to build long-term relationships.
In the United Arab Emirates, we want to build on that experience by bringing a product with a strong Argentine identity, outstanding quality, and an authentic story behind it. Our challenge is to understand the needs of this market, establish a solid relationship with our strategic distributor, Las Pampas, and demonstrate that an Argentine SME can compete internationally by combining tradition, innovation, and commitment.
I believe the most important lesson is that to grow internationally, we do not have to abandon our roots; we must turn them into our competitive advantage.
That is what Lombarde represents: a family story that began with my grandfather’s milk, evolved into an industrial enterprise, and is now seeking to reach tables around the world, carrying a small piece of our Argentine identity in every cheese.
Looking ahead, what are your plans to expand Lombarde’s presence in Dubai and the wider Gulf region? Are you considering introducing new products, establishing partnerships with local distributors, or developing long-term commercial agreements with importers and food-sector companies?
Our main objective is to consolidate this first shipment and develop the market together with Las Pampas. For us, the distributor is not simply a commercial intermediary; it is a strategic partner whose knowledge of the UAE can help us establish a stable presence and identify the best growth opportunities.
We want buyers, distributors, and food-service professionals to discover our lactose-free mozzarella and stretched-curd provolone, experience their characteristics and flavors, and appreciate the quality of the products firsthand.
Based on the market’s response, we will seek to gradually increase volumes, expand our customer base, and assess new distribution opportunities. We are also open to considering other Lombarde products, always in line with market needs and the commercial opportunities we can develop together with our distributor.
We want to build a long-term relationship based on shared objectives, consistent quality, reliability, and responsiveness. We want Lombarde’s growth in Dubai to create opportunities for Las Pampas as well as for customers who discover a differentiated value proposition in our products.
Our experience in innovation allows us to continue exploring new developments. Our collaboration with government institutions, INTI, INTA, and universities has demonstrated that we can take products rooted in our cheese-making tradition, incorporate technology, and broaden their potential without compromising quality.
We believe this approach has considerable potential in the UAE. Once our presence in Dubai is consolidated, we will be able to evaluate further opportunities across the Gulf region.
Our vision is not to pursue isolated transactions, but to build long-term relationships based on trust. We want Lombarde to be recognized not only for the quality of its cheeses and its capacity to innovate, but also for a more human-centered and integrated approach to business.
For us, this export represents the union of our productive roots and a forward-looking vision—a dream that began in our homeland and is now starting to reach Dubai. We want this journey to continue alongside Las Pampas, adding value to Argentine milk and taking our products, which express our identity, ever farther into the world.
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