Why Can’t You Find More Argentinian Alfajores in the UK? The Real Answer Is Dulce de Leche

If you are Argentinian, have visited Argentina, or have a dangerous weakness for anything filled with Dulce de Leche, you have probably asked this question at some point:

Why is it so difficult to find proper Argentinian alfajores in the UK?

And, more specifically:

Why can’t we get every famous alfajor brand from Argentina here?

It is a very fair question.

After all, Argentina is full of alfajores. You find them in kioscos, petrol stations, supermarkets, cafés, bus stations, airports, offices, school bags, handbags, and probably somewhere in every Argentinian family home.

Alfajores are not just a sweet treat in Argentina. They are part of daily life.

So why, when you arrive in the UK, does the choice suddenly become so limited?

The answer is not because UK importers do not want them.

Believe me, we do.

The answer is not because Argentinians have suddenly stopped loving alfajores.

Impossible.

The real answer is more technical, less romantic, and slightly less delicious:

Dulce de Leche.

And more precisely, the rules around importing products that contain dairy.

What is an alfajor?

An alfajor is one of Argentina’s most iconic sweet treats. In its most recognisable Argentinian form, it is usually made with two soft biscuits or cake-like cookies, filled with Dulce de Leche, and then covered in chocolate, white chocolate, sugar glaze, meringue, or rolled in coconut.

Different countries in Latin America have their own versions, but in Argentina, the classic alfajor is deeply connected to Dulce de Leche.

That creamy, rich, milk-based filling is not just an ingredient.

It is the soul of the product.

This is why, when people in the UK search for “Argentinian alfajores near me”, “where to buy alfajores in the UK”, or “why can’t I find more Argentine alfajor brands in London?”, they are not really asking only about biscuits.

They are asking about a product that normally contains a processed dairy ingredient.

And that changes everything.

Why does Dulce de Leche matter for UK imports?

Dulce de Leche is made primarily from milk and sugar. That means it is a dairy product.

When Dulce de Leche is used inside an alfajor, the final product can fall into what import authorities call a composite product: a food containing both ingredients of plant origin and processed products of animal origin, such as dairy.

In plain English?

If an alfajor contains Dulce de Leche, the authorities do not only look at the biscuit, the chocolate coating, or the packaging.

They also look at the dairy ingredient inside.

That means the Dulce de Leche must come from an approved and compliant source.

This is where many Argentinian alfajor brands face a serious challenge.

They may be wonderful products.

They may be famous in Argentina.

They may be the brand your cousin swears is “the best alfajor in the world”.

But if the Dulce de Leche inside does not meet the required UK import conditions, the product cannot simply be imported and sold through official commercial channels.

No matter how good it tastes.

And yes, this is where the conversation becomes less “merienda with mate” and more “veterinary certification, approved establishments and border control”.

Sorry. Nobody promised food importing was glamorous.

Why are only certain Argentinian alfajores officially available in the UK?

The key reason is compliance.

For an Argentinian alfajor containing Dulce de Leche to be officially imported into the UK, the dairy element must comply with the relevant import requirements.

This is why the situation is not as simple as:

“Just bring a container from Argentina.”

If only.

The product has to be legal, traceable, documented, labelled correctly, and compliant with the rules of the destination market.

At Casa Argentina, we only work through official import routes. That means products need to be brought into the UK properly, with the right documentation and compliance in place.

This is also why Havanna alfajores have become the main officially available Argentinian alfajor brand in the UK.

Havanna uses San Ignacio Dulce de Leche, and San Ignacio is the only Dulce de Leche producer in Argentina certified to export Dulce de Leche to the EU and UK market.

That technical point matters.

A lot.

Because when the filling is compliant, the door opens for the final product to be imported properly.

So, are other Argentinian alfajores illegal in the UK?

This is where we need to be very clear.

It is not that the word “alfajor” is illegal.

It is not that Argentina is banned.

It is not that British people are being protected from happiness.

The issue is whether the specific product, its ingredients, its producer, its documentation, and its import route meet the rules.

A homemade-style alfajor made in the UK with legally sourced ingredients is one thing.

A commercially imported alfajor from Argentina containing Dulce de Leche is another.

If the product contains dairy, and that dairy does not come from a source approved for the relevant market, then it cannot be imported and sold through official commercial channels.

That is the key difference.

What about alfajores brought in luggage?

Ah, yes.

The classic route.

The suitcase.

The handbag.

The “I only brought a few boxes for the family” operation.

We know this world very well.

Many people travelling from Argentina bring alfajores for personal reasons. It is practically a cultural duty.

If you arrive from Buenos Aires and do not bring at least one box of alfajores, questions will be asked.

Possibly by immigration.

Definitely by your family.

But personal luggage and commercial importation are not the same thing.

So, when you see someone selling random Argentinian alfajores on social media, and they are not an officially imported product, there is a good chance they arrived through the “personal import” route.

Very traditional.

Very Argentinian.

Not always very official.

Why does this matter to customers?

Because food trust matters.

When you buy food in the UK, especially imported food, you are not just buying flavour.

You are trusting that the product has been imported correctly, stored correctly, labelled correctly, and supplied by a company that understands what it is doing.

That matters even more with products containing dairy.

For customers, the question should not only be:

“Is this alfajor authentic?”

It should also be:

“Has this alfajor been officially imported and supplied through the correct route?”

Because there is a big difference between a product being “from Argentina” and a product being legally and professionally imported from Argentina.

One is nostalgia.

The other is compliance.

Ideally, you want both.

Why are Havanna alfajores so popular?

Havanna is one of Argentina’s most famous alfajor brands, strongly associated with Mar del Plata and Argentinian food culture.

For many Argentinians abroad, a box of Havanna is more than a sweet product.

It is a memory.

It is holidays in Mar del Plata.

It is family visiting from Argentina.

It is mate with friends.

It is the box someone brings in their suitcase and everyone suddenly becomes very polite until the last alfajor disappears.

But from a UK perspective, Havanna also matters because it is one of the few Argentinian alfajor brands that can be officially supplied through proper commercial routes.

That makes it both nostalgic and compliant.

And in food importing, that is a very good combination.

Why are Argentinian alfajores more expensive in the UK than in Argentina?

Another very common question.

And the honest answer is: because they are not just crossing the road.

They are travelling across continents.

By the time an alfajor reaches a UK customer, the cost may include production, export preparation, international freight, insurance, import documentation, customs processes, UK warehousing, compliance checks, handling, distribution, VAT where applicable, and the normal costs of running a food business in the UK.

On top of that, specialist imported products usually move in much smaller volumes than mainstream supermarket confectionery.

So no, an alfajor in London will not cost the same as an alfajor from a kiosco in Buenos Aires.

Painful, yes.

But real.

Are Argentinian alfajores worth it?

If you know, you know.

A proper alfajor is not just a biscuit.

It is soft, rich, sweet, indulgent and comforting. It is the kind of treat that makes coffee better, mate more complete, and a bad day slightly less dramatic.

And for Argentinians living in the UK, it carries something even more powerful: connection.

Food has this strange ability to take you somewhere else.

One bite and suddenly you are not in London, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh.

You are back in Argentina.

At your grandmother’s table.

At a beach café in Mar del Plata.

At a family gathering where everyone is talking at the same time and somehow everyone understands each other.

That is the magic of alfajores.

Where can you buy official Argentinian alfajores in the UK?

If you are looking for officially imported Argentinian alfajores in the UK, look for trusted specialist suppliers who understand food import compliance, traceability and storage.

At Casa Argentina, we focus on bringing authentic Argentinian food to the UK through proper, official and responsible channels.

That means we may not always be able to offer every brand people ask us for.

And we understand that can be frustrating.

We would love to bring more.

Honestly, we would.

But we will not cut corners just to sell a product.

If an alfajor brand cannot currently meet the import requirements for the UK, then we would rather explain the reason clearly than pretend the issue does not exist.

That is not always the easiest commercial answer.

But it is the right one.

Browse our Argentinian alfajores or explore more about Dulce de Leche.

Final answer: why can’t you find more Argentinian alfajores in the UK?

Because most traditional Argentinian alfajores contain Dulce de Leche.

Dulce de Leche is a dairy product.

And dairy products are subject to strict import rules.

So, unless the Dulce de Leche and the final product meet the correct UK requirements, that alfajor cannot be officially imported and sold through proper commercial channels.

That is why the UK market has fewer Argentinian alfajor brands than Argentina.

Not because there is no demand.

Not because people do not love them.

Not because importers are sleeping.

But because compliance matters.

And when food crosses borders, especially food containing dairy, the rules matter as much as the recipe.

Not very romantic, I know.

But very important.

The good news?

The alfajores that are officially available are here properly.

And when you open that box, put the kettle on, prepare your mate or coffee, and take that first bite…

For a few seconds, the paperwork disappears.

And Argentina is back in the room.