From the field, to the farm, to your table.
Castel San Pietro Terme, where we make our cheeses, is home to a number of food and wine specialties, including DOC and DOCG wines, beer and mutton. It is also a centre of excellence for honey, which is the ideal accompaniment to cheese. This small but rich and fertile corner of Emilia-Romagna is a well-known producer of alfalfa and waxy barley which, being rich in proteins and beta carotene, make ideal fodder for the cows which produce our milk. This is where our delicious cheese starts life.
Not just farmers, they’re our neighbours!
Most of the milk we process comes from eight farms no more than 10 km from the dairy which are certified to produce milk for Squacquerone di Romagna PDO. These experienced, dedicated farmers have worked with our company for more than thirty years and make sure their cattle have only the very best feed. They are in daily contact with our company which coordinates the entire production chain.
"Comellini only works with dairy farmers who know that good milk is made in the fields, just like fine wine is made in the vineyard."
From the barn to the dairy, not far to go!
The cows, which are mainly Friesians, are milked in milking parlours where all the equipment and facilities are kept scrupulously clean: this is the most important part of the process and is a priority for our dairy! Everyday Mr Tosi calls on each of the dairy farmers with his tanker to collect the milk and takes it to the dairy, where it undergoes strict controls and is then stored in refrigerated tanks ready to be processed.
The milk becomes cheese.
We use local selected enzymes to make Squacquerone, as they give the cheese its typical fresh and mildly acidic taste. The most crucial stage in the cheese making process is when the milk enters the coagulation tanks: here it is mixed continuously by special stirrers and heated to the right temperature, which is different for each type of cheese. Salt is added and then the rennet.
Breaking the mould with our cheeses
Our cheese moulds, which come in lots of different shapes and sizes depending on the size of cheese we want to obtain, are filled by a dosing machine while a worker personally checks each one and adjusts it manually if necessary. When the whey has been drained off, the cheese finally gets a well-deserved rest. We’re nearly done! Once the cheese has matured, each one is checked and assessed individually as it is packed. Now they’re ready for our customers! Every morning our cheeses are delivered fresh to shops the length and breadth of the country, so Italians can enjoy the typical flavours of our land and the joy of a simple, genuine lifestyle.