The prestigious international Cheese & Dairy Awards were a cause for celebration for Granarolo Groupa with the leading Italian dairy co-operative winning three awards – including silver for its Vegetarian Quattrocento Hard Cheese.
Showcasing the skills of Granarolo’s Master Cheesemakers, Quattrocento was awarded silver in the highly competitive Best Italian Cheese category. This result for the vegetarian hard cheese provides a golden opportunity for chefs to bring authentic meat-free Italian dishes to menus from pasta and pizza to risotto. Speaking about the award, Aldo Bosco, CEO, Granarolo Group UK says:
“We are absolutely delighted to see our Quattrocento Italian Hard Cheese recognised with this award. The International Cheese & Dairy Awards are one of the most important events in our industry and this accolade shows chefs can feel confident in making the swap to our premium quality hard cheese to create artisanal vegetarian dishes that deliver a taste of Italy.”
Starting with 400 litres of fresh creamy Italian milk in each wheel, Quattrocento is also used to create Granarolo’s Cheese Snacks – which won Silver & Gold at last year’s International Cheese & Dairy Awards – and is the main ingredient in the new Cheese Crumbles combining the hard cheese with dried fruits and seeds for topping soups and salads.
Silver for Quattrocento was not the only prize for the dairy co-operative with Granarolo’s Parmigiano Reggiano also receiving a highly commended in the Best Italian Cheese category and the Gorgonzola Picante being awarded a bronze in the Blue Vein Soft Cheese class.
Aldo adds:
“At Granarolo we pride ourselves on producing great traditional Italian Cheeses and providing a unique and unmistakable taste. It is a huge honour to see both our Parmigiano Reggiano & Gorgonzola Picante celebrated with these awards as two of our ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ cheeses (PDO). They showcase the strong heritage of traditional Italian cheesemaking methods, and we can’t wait to for chefs to bring these classics to their plates.”
Granarolo Group is the number 1 Italian Milk and Dairy Group and the largest dairy farmer co-operative of 700 animal welfare certified farms*. Granarolo supplies the highest quality farm-to-fork dairy produce all over the world, including Italian regional lines such as fresh and hard cheese, milk, yoghurts, and snacks.
* CSQA DTP 122 farm animal welfare certification
For more information on Granarolo Group UK call 01902 369 656 or visit www.granarologroup.com
