San Bernadino Dairy, Tortiano
Producers of Parmesan
The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy is famed for its excellent cuisine and remarkable produce, incorporating the fertile landscape between the River Po to the north and the Appenine Mountains in the south. San Bernadino dairy lies within the hillsides that surround Parma, just outside the small town of Tortiano within the tightly controlled geographical region in which Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO can be produced.
San Bernadino is a family run dairy, now led by Luca and Paulo Caramaschi who are the fourth generation of their family to be making cheese. They work within a cooperative of dairy farmers but, unusually, they keep all the milks separate for cheesemaking to retain the unique flavours of each herd’s milk in every batch of Parmesan. This attention to detail and respect for the local agriculture is apparent in the excellent quality of the resulting cheese.
Alison and Elliott of the Bermondsey based Ham and Cheese Company have built their business directly sourcing Italian salumi and cheeses from small producers. In fact, their business started selling only Parmesan for the first three years and in that time, they visited countless dairies to find the perfect cheese to sell in London. They exclusively work with San Bernadino for the supply of Parmesan and select wheels for us to sell that are balanced with fruity sweetness with subtle meaty notes and a rich, succulent texture.