Cheese Whizzes

The siblings behind Ciaolatte dairy marry modern organic farming with traditional techniques to create delectable Parmigiano-Reggiano.

- Words: Tori Latham Photography: Martino Lombezzi

THE TRUE CATHEDRALS of Parma have nothing to do with religion—and little to do with architecture, for that matter. Rather, they’re all about cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, the sharp, savoury variety that takes its name from this region of Italy. The maturation rooms where these wheels of cheese age are, in the eyes of many, the source of the area’s beauty and wealth. They're home to a product that is so intrinsic to life in the community that it’s the solid food of choice for weaning babies. And at Ciaolatte, a dairy in the hills of Borghetto, those walls hold hundreds upon hundreds of wheels of formaggio destined for some of the best bowls of pasta in the country.

The first certified organic maker of Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO in the province of Parma—PDO stands for protected designation of origin, an official European Union guarantee that the cheese is made according to regulation—Ciaolatte has been run by the Peveri family since its founding in 1957. The second generation is now in charge: Dario serves as the head cheese maker, Filippo handles the livestock, and Serena leads the commercial side of the business. The siblings’ parents trained them from a young age; Filippo began working in the fields when he was just eight. “You run on the tractor, the little tractor, and you have much fun,” he recalls. “It starts like a game. Then you go deeper every day and you discover that you’re excited 100 per cent.”

The traditional cheese-making process happens once daily, resulting in 15 wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus butter and ricotta from the by-products. And while the initial steps take just a few hours, Ciaolatte has to wait at least another year for the cheese to reach its final state. At that point, distribution is divided between Italy and Switzerland, with a sizable portion sold on-site. “We like to sell straight to the customer,” Peveri says, “because we like to talk about our cheese; we like to talk about our job, our product.”