produttori — Rezzoaglio · Liguria
In the Ligurian Apennines, where Val d'Aveto climbs toward the highland pastures of the Parco Naturale Regionale (Regional Nature Park), a caseificio (cheese dairy) founded in 1991 has chosen a precise vocation: working raw milk as it was once done, to bring the San Stè back to life and safeguard this valley's dairy identity.
Twenty-five stalle (barns) scattered between Val d'Aveto and Val Trebbia supply the milk each day from some three hundred cows of the bruna alpina and pezzata rossa breeds: two breeds chosen for their generous yield and their deep bond with these highland pastures. The milk arrives at the caseificio whole, neither skimmed nor adjusted — so that the valley can enter the cheese just as it is.
The caseificio has revived the old working methods of Avetana tradition and codified a production protocol grounded in the gestures of farming life: knowledge that risked disappearing along with the last generations of cheesemakers. From the curd to the San Stè, every step follows the timing and temperatures that Ligurian dairy tradition has refined over the centuries, among these very mountains.
On the aging shelves rest the wheels of San Stè — the ancient flavor of mountain herbs and flowers — and of Sarazzu, a ricotta salata (salted ricotta) of bold intensity. Alongside the aged cheeses sits the Yogurt Colato: in 2024 five flavors earned eleven stars from the International Taste Institute in Brussels; in 2025 came the Diamond Taste Award, a recognition that places the caseificio among Europe's finest in the field.
The spaccio aziendale (farm shop) carries the full range of the caseificio's products; in the veranda, the frozen yogurt is there to taste. The full page tells the story of every wheel and every stage of aging.
