The story
1939
114 farmers form a cooperative to save every last drop of milk
A dairy factory by the river, where milk is delivered by mule
The members of the new cooperative rented some premises in Serravalle Ceno from the Dioceses of Parma, right on the bank of the river Ceno, beside the ancient Baptistery. Back then, the cooperative was simply named “Caseificio Serravalle Ceno”; the first year, its average daily production was of 3 wheels of cheese per day; the wheels were smaller, and the cheese was produced only in the summer months. The production had to stop from November to March due to the fact that milk was usually brought to the dairy by mule or horse, and the few roads available were impossible to travel during winter.
60s/70s
Industrialisation leads to the depopulation of rural areas… But cheesemakers don’t give up!
It was only in the 60s, when new roads and bridges were built to connect our valleys, that the cheesemakers became able to work also during the cold season. They started producing the famous “Vernengo”, a winter version of Parmigiano Reggiano made with milk from cows fed exclusively on dry hay.
The 70s saw the decline of sharecropping and the dawn of modern industrialisation in our valleys but also the depopulation of rural areas. Of 114 members of the cooperative, only 40 remained.
However, the production increased thanks to mechanisation and new processing techniques. Even small farms, previously devoted to subsidence agriculture, started expanding and specialising.
80s
The production grows, the premises are renewed… The quality remains!
The dairy factory, which was (and still is) located in the same spot where it was founded, was in need of some works of expansion and renovation in the 80s. The remaining members of the cooperative bought the premises from the Dioceses and started the works.
At the beginning of new millennium, il Battistero was renewed again. A new warehouse was built beside the factory to stock the cheese wheels during their long maturing period.
2015
The new store: shopping, events, tastings
In 2015, further renovation works doubled the space available for our customers, suppliers and… our cheese! We opened the new store, which started selling cold cuts, wines and other local delicacies beside cheeses; currently, the store also includes a café in which our customers can enjoy a cup of coffee, or buy a freshly made take-away sandwich before a Sunday trip in the Apennines or a picnic by the river Ceno. On the first floor, there is a wide hall for tastings and other events; the portico on the back serves as covered parking spot for trucks that bring milk from our shareholders’ farms.
In November of that year, during the Feast of San Martino (the patron Saint of Varano de’ Melegari), the Municipality rewarded us with a certificate of public merit for our contribution to the development of the town; we also won a prize for our 60 months Parmigiano at the World Cheese Awards in Birmingham: that was a great year!
Today
80 years old… And the story goes on!
In 2019, we celebrated 80 years of activity… But we didn’t let that go to our head. In our dairy, which keeps its name “Il Battistero” to honour the venerable monument that has always been a silent witness to our work, we still process milk from our shareholders’ farms, all located in our valleys, away from industrial plants and cities, and we still produce mountain Parmigiano Reggiano and other high-quality goods.
