On Thursday, March 14th, Parmigiano Reggiano illuminated the City of Light at the historic Hôtel de Boisgelin, home to the Italian Embassy in Paris, to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium’s foundation.

In the presence of the Italian Ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro, and the Italian and international press, the Consortium celebrated the 11 dairy farms that won the Parmigiano Reggiano Palios held throughout 2023, awarding them a new prize, the “Casello d’Oro” (Golden Dairy). The guest of honour for the evening was chef Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Modena (three Michelin stars).

In 2023, 11 competitions called “Palio del Parmigiano Reggiano” were organised, events that have been held for 12 years in the PDO’s region of origin (which includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua to the right of the Po River, and Bologna to the left of the Reno River). These are competitions in which each consortium-affiliated dairy can participate by submitting a sample of 24-26-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano.

The cheeses in the competition are evaluated by a jury composed of certified tasters from the APR (Parmigiano Reggiano Tasters Association).

The 11 dairy farms that won the 2023 Parmigiano Reggiano Palios are:

  • Brugnoli F.lli Società Agricola (Bardi, PR) – winner of the Palio Città di Casina – Reggio Emilia
  • Caseificio Sociale di Casola di Montefiorino s.a.c. (Montefiorino, MO) – winner of the Palio di Pavullo nel Frignano – Modena
  • Cooperativa Casearia Castelnovese s.c.a. (Castelnuovo Rangone, MO) – winner of the Palio GustiaMo – Modena
  • Latteria Agricola Mogliese s.c.a.r.l. (Sermide, MN) – winner of the Palio Caseifici dell’Oltrepò Mantovano – Mantua
  • Latteria Agricoltori Roncocesi s.c.a. (Reggio Emilia) – winner of the Palio Teatro della Natura Viano – Reggio Emilia
  • Latteria Sociale della Costa di Bazzano s.a.c. (Neviano degli Arduini, PR) – winner of the Palio di Pellegrino Parmense – Parma
  • Latteria Sociale San Girolamo s.c.a. (Guastalla, RE) – winner of the Palio di San Lucio – Parma
  • Martinelli Romeo di Martinelli Gianpietro e Luca s.n.c. (Noceto, PR) – winner of the Palio di Montechiarugolo – Parma
  • Pieve Roffeno s.a.c. (Castel d’Aiano, BO) – winner of the Palio di San Petronio – Bologna
  • Soc. Agr. Mezzadri Renzo Roberto Massimo e Stefano s.s. (Busseto, PR) – winner of the Palio dell’Artigianato di Soragna – Parma
  • Società Agricola Dall’Aglio s.s. (Gattatico, RE) – winner of the Palio Bibbiano la Culla – Reggio Emilia

Two special awards were also given: to Pieve Roffeno Dairy for the Parmigiano Reggiano with the best structure and to Latteria Agricola Mogliese for the Parmigiano Reggiano with the best aromatic profile.

Judging the 11 samples of the 24-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano for the blind tasting was an exceptional international jury comprised of:

  • Caroline Boquet (trainer for dairy products at CFPL-l’Ecole française du Fromage)
  • Alice Bosio (gastronomic journalist from Le Figaro)
  • Maddalena Fossati Dondero (director of Cucina Italiana and Condé Nast Traveller Italia)
  • Alessandra Pierini (author of books, reports, press articles, radio programs, and conferences on Italian cuisine)
  • Cornelia Poletto (chef and owner of Cornelia Poletto restaurant, Cucina Cornelia Poletto School, and Paolas gastronomy bar)
  • Cathy Strange (ambassador of food culture at Whole Foods Market)
  • Carlos Yescas (judge, expert, author of cheese books, and contributor to the Oxford Companion to Cheese)

The event was one of the significant celebratory moments for the Consortium’s 90th Anniversary, which will take place throughout 2024 in conjunction with the main events in which the PDO will participate.

The protection body that associates all Parmigiano Reggiano producers was founded on July 27, 1934, with the function of safeguarding, defending, and promoting a millennial product whose ancient and noble origins date back to the Middle Ages, safeguarding its typicality and promoting its knowledge worldwide.

Emanuela D’Alessandro, Italian Ambassador to France, said, “I am very happy that the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium has chosen the Italian Embassy in Paris as the setting for this important Anniversary: 90 years are indeed a very significant milestone for everyone!

I know that this choice was not accidental: historically, France has been one of the main foreign markets for Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. A very concrete and tangible example of the strong attachment and deep love that the French market has towards Italian products of excellence, particularly in the gastronomic sector.”

“2024 is a very special year for the Parmigiano Reggiano community,” said Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Consortium. “We are celebrating the 90 years of our Consortium, the oldest in Italy for food products. Furthermore, last night, we awarded the’ Casello d’Oro’ recognition for the first time in our history to the 11 dairies that won the Parmigiano Reggiano Palios in 2023.

We chose the splendid Italian Embassy in Paris as the venue for the event, the capital of our primary market in Europe with 12,944 tons exported in 2022, to celebrate the marriage between Parmigiano Reggiano and France and to begin to highlight the distinctiveness of our PDO.”