/ Our magazine / Ferrari BIO: artisans of organic Parmigiano Reggiano DOP.
/ Our magazine / Ferrari BIO: artisans of organic Parmigiano Reggiano DOP.
In a territory dotted with an immense historical and cultural heritage, characterized by vast cultivation and breeding areas where livestock can grow in total freedom, we find the roots of Parmigiano Reggiano, one of the most renowned and appreciated Italian cheeses in the world. Characterized by that wonderful taste that never tires because one bite leads to another, its flavor unleashes a thousand emotions once bitten, reminiscent of childhood snacks with bread and cheese. In flakes, cubes, grated, or melted: savoring it is always a true delight. Parmigiano Reggiano is an experience, an emotion that stays in the heart, just like the sensational flavor it brings to every dish in which it’s used.
The story we want to tell has the flavor of this extraordinary cheese and originates within the walls of a small municipality in the province of Reggio Emilia, Vezzano sul Crostolo. In this territory the grancie were born, traditional farms of the Middle Ages that raised cows in the green to produce the best milk. A beautiful area where the Matildico Park of Montalto and the Monte del Gesso rise, where animals can be raised and plants can be cultivated without pollutants. It is here, among the fields and the dairies, that Ferrari BIO farm stands, producer of one of the best Parmigiano Reggiano that can be tasted today.
Located in Pecorile, a small fraction of Vezzano sul Crostolo, the Ferri BIO company was born from the passion and commitment of the Ferrari family. It was in 1978 that Remigio Ferrari and Giuliana Goldoni, along with their six children, turned their love for the land and livestock into a recognized and award-winning reality that has accompanied them for nearly 40 years.
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However, it was in 1998 that the Ferrari family decided to make a real leap in quality. Quality in the sense of healthy, genuine, natural: that is, organic. Both cultivation and breeding within the company reflect the traditions of the past, the values of another era that return: feed and fodder created to nourish livestock without chemical agents, natural crop rotation, and cultivation free of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This is how their cows grow healthy, strong, and happy to graze, and they provide us with very good and absolutely organic milk. The philosophy carried out by Ferrari BIO also emerges in the methods of caring for livestock: only homeopathic remedies are applied, and, of course, plenty of sunlight.
The choice not to use chemical feeds or antibiotics allows for the creation of healthy products, which is why the company has obtained the BIO Compliance Certificate for breeding and for many other plant products.
The cheesemakers of the Ferrari BIO company hand-milk the fresh milk from the cows daily. This milk then undergoes a pasteurization process to create wonderful and natural products. All procedures and production phases respect hygiene parameters as per organic processing.
In addition to the organic certificate, to certify the quality of this product, Ferrari BIO obtained in 2018 the certification for the exclusive production of STG hay milk, which stands for Guaranteed Traditional Specialty. This designation involves a form of milk production from dairy cattle raised in traditional dairy farms that respect the environment and are carefully fed only with grass, legumes, grains, and hay. The use of fermented feeds or the administration of GMOs is not allowed.
Attention to animal husbandry, along with careful processing of the milk, allows Ferrari BIO to boast prestigious traditional values such as recreating the genuine flavors of the past.
With their own milk production, in 2012 the Ferrari family BIO decided to produce Organic Parmigiano Reggiano at the Social Dairy la Nuova in Bibbiano, in the province of Reggio Emilia.
This delicious typical Italian cheese is obtained by mixing two types of milk: the skimmed milk from the evening milking along with the whole milk from the morning milking. The milk is poured into typical copper boilers shaped like an inverted bell. It is enriched with natural rennet and with starter whey: this is how the coagulation process occurs.
The curd is then broken into tiny granules by the master cheesemaker, a true craftsman of cheese. This process occurs thanks to the spino, a tool made up of a stick and a sort of sphere at one end, composed of metal rings of different diameters. This procedure is indeed called "spinatura" because, as handed down from oral tradition, in the past a dry branch of hawthorn was used, hence the name "spino".
After spinning, we move on to the cooking phase, a very slow process that involves cooking at a temperature of 55°C. Subsequently, the cheese granules settle at the bottom of the boiler, forming a single mass, which will then be extracted by the cheesemaker and worked on to obtain the cheese wheel shapes. Each individual wheel requires as much as 600 liters of milk to be produced.
The wonderful identity card of the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is a plate of casein that is assigned with a unique and progressive number. A special marking band is used to inscribe the month and year of production, the registration number distinguishing the dairy, along with the unmistakable dotted writing around the entire circumference. Finally, the wheels are immersed for a few days in a saturated solution of water and salt. This particular process is called salting by osmosis.
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The Parmigiano Reggiano DOP has a maturation process all to discover: the wheels are arranged in long rows to then be left resting on wooden tables. Thanks to this process, the outer part of the cheese dries, forming a natural rind, without adding any type of treatment, making it edible.
Usually, the minimum aging of Parmigiano is 12 months, and after this period, the wheels are examined by the company experts who select the best to continue aging for 24 months and beyond.
Thanks to the experience gained over time, the officials of the Consortium for protection examine each individual wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, and only after a thorough positive check can they apply the stamp on the wheels that meet the requirements of the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP).
Wheels that do not meet these requirements are stripped of their marks and the traditional dotted writing.
Selection is a very important and meticulous procedure because it allows consumers to have an absolute guarantee of authenticity of the products from Ferrari BIO.
The commitment, passion, and dedication to their work have reached very high levels, earning them awards and recognition worldwide. The traditional methods of yesteryear passed down from generation to generation have ensured that Ferrari BIO has been awarded for 4 years at the World Cheese Award with numerous gold and silver medals for various aging categories of Parmigiano Reggiano. The unique and personalized processing of milk undoubtedly allows Ferrari BIO to stand out from the competition, giving life to products of the highest quality.
On our site Spaghetti & Mandolino, you can find the best Parmigiano Reggiano DOP BIO from the Ferrari BIO company. We love to reward Italian excellence and want to guarantee our customers the best quality.
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