Robiola di Roccaverano and Strachitunt are in crisis; producers are calling for the preservation of their PDO cheeses
They are among the most beloved cheeses in Italian cuisine, and they are in danger. We're talking about Robiola di Roccaverano and Strachitunt, not the usual robiola or blue cheese from the supermarket.
The producers' plea is clear: "Help us sell our cheeses." The epidemic has not spared them either, so much so that producers are forced to send their milk and cheeses to the recycling bin. The appeal is addressed to everyone: consumers, retailers, and institutions, to support the sector after years of sacrifice to create a communication network between small producers. Strachitunt even risked extinction, only to be rediscovered in the 1990s.
We can usually find these excellent products in the kitchens of large restaurants, which have been closed for two months, on the shelves of specialized shops or at local markets, but even here, restrictions on people's movements prevent their sale.
And while Strachitunt producers struggle with the aging times for the cheeses, which cannot exceed 150 days, for robiola, purchased goat's milk cannot be transformed into powdered milk.
To prevent their hard work from going to waste, producers have started donating cheese to charity, but now they're being brought to their knees by the lockdown. Many have attempted to expand into large-scale retail trade, where competition is fierce and always downward. The challenges are enormous for niche products that will disappear if they aren't protected in their darkest hour.
And to do so, here are some online sales sites to purchase them.
Valtaleggio Sant'Antonio Agricultural Cooperative (currently covers Lombardy)
Italybite (throughout Italy, excluding areas not served by couriers)