From the present into the future

When we recall the beginnings of the Consorzio, we should not forget several important individuals who were utterly dedicated and devoted to the cause. We owe the first debt of gratitude to the cheese makers “of yesteryear”, those highly skilled people who bridged the gap between past and present, guarding the skills and the know-how of a cheese making art that was on the brink of disappearing altogether. There have been several cheese makers that have continued to produce Strachítunt against all odds, be it solely for their own consumption at the kitchen table, accompanied by a bit of polenta. Among them is Gugliemo Locatelli, who firmly believed in the project of relaunching and bringing back to life a cheese that had been forgotten for years. They are key players that have passed on the baton of a cheese-making tradition that was almost to be lost for future generations.

Naturally, other key elements have been the foresight and encouragement of certain executives and the expertise of renowned cheese-ripening experts such as Giulio Signorelli, known as Ol Formagér, and Alvaro Ravasio, who encouraged the cheese makers, promoting the renaissance of this cheese towards the end of the 80s. At the time, nobody had heard of Strachítunt, not even the experts at Slowfood. Giulio Signorelli in a workshop that took place in Brà during Cheese, the most important European dairy fair, introduced the cheese and it proved to be a great success. Twenty years later, in the 2000s, the Strachítunt story took another turn when the Michelin starred chef, Gianfranco Vissani, described it as “the most delicious cheese in the world”. Such a conclusive definition of his stimulated the media and public opinion, raising curiosity among food and wine lovers and promoting a continuous flow of visitors to the areas where the production areas of the cheese.

Today, however, the new heroes are those young and very young people, who make the role of Strachìtunt, as a value-giving resource of the local territory, possible and significant. They are those young people who decided to carry the business they inherited forward, like Fabio after his uncle, Aldo; Marco, after his uncle Sergio; and the Locatelli brothers after their father, Gugliemo. These individuals are key players and fundamental role models for the youngest generation who are investing to restore old family barns, or to buy new ones. They have spent their summers on the mountain pastures since childhood, guided by expert skilled masters. Last, but not least, are those that are still students and are approaching their first years in the dairy field and who are showing great promise, passion and willingness to work towards their future in the valley as breeders.