On Monday, 16 March 2026, an expert seminar titled “From Alpine Farming Practices to Modern Gastronomy” was held at the Research and Teaching Microbrewery of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (FAT USB).
Alongside FAT USB students, the event was attended by experts and representatives from several companies with longstanding cooperation with the Department of Food Biotechnology and Quality of Agricultural Products. The seminar was officially opened by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jan Bárta, Ph.D., Vice-Dean for Science and Research at FAT USB, who stressed the importance of linking students with professional practice and highlighted the advantages of such events for their professional growth.
The seminar programme included several thematically linked presentations. Prof. Ing. Eva Samková, Ph.D. from FZT USB discussed the importance of cheese in human nutrition. This was followed by Ing. Jiří Kopáček, CSc., Chairman of the Czech-Moravian Dairy Association, who focused on cheesemaking in Alpine countries. A practical perspective was provided by Ing. Jan Vaňous, who shared his experience of Alpine cheesemaking in practice. Ing. Vanda Vitoňová, Head Technologist at the Planá nad Lužnicí plant of MADETA a.s., presented innovation combined with tradition in dairy production. The seminar concluded with a presentation by Ing. Vladimír Čejna, Ph.D. from Savencia Fromage & Dairy Czech Republic, a.s., who introduced new trends in dairy products for gastronomy.
During the seminar, participants had the chance to taste dairy products from Savencia Fromage & Dairy Czech Republic. At the same time, speakers and guests could sample items prepared by FAT USB students. Following the lecture, attendees were invited to a special tasting of two Swiss cheeses – Gruyère and Tête de Moine. The tasting ended with yoghurt ice cream as a sweet finale.
At the end of the event, Prof. Samková thanked all speakers and participants. A total of 45 participants attended the seminar. Due to the strong interest, comparable to a similar event held two years ago, the faculty intends to organise a similar seminar again in the future.