Exactly. The cheese company was my great-grandfather’s idea. He built the old warehouse here in Abbiategrasso, between the countryside and the city, between rurality and modernity, in the land which has been the dwelling place of agers, producers and breeders. The locals are illustrious: Taleggio, Stracchino, Zola, Quartirolo and, in antquity, also the Grana. I learnt the trade from my father, as he had done from his own. Affineurs? In the company we prefer the term “cheese sellers”. Passionate and expert sellers. Here, you can find cheeses from every region of Italy and some of the best-known foreign cheeses. It is a trade made of passion, nuances, perception of very fine tastes and aromas. We try, taste, smell, handle, observe and sometimes imagine. We use touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing. There is no technology in the world which can do that for us.

That stuff there, that attention, has remained.The passion for quality, for work well done and for the total respect of our customers have become our philosophy, a true business which is most of all ethical. We have grown, discreetly, silently and, thanks to everyone’s commitment, we are now a solid B2B company where artisan quality is enhanced by technology: the vehicles are equipped in the best possible way and the cold rooms are always monitored. We always select our partners attentively and the quality of the products is always greater. We deliver our cheeses in most of Italy and the world, to the USA, to distributors, markets, hotels and catering. We are perfectly in line with all the hygiene rules, quality control and traceability. Rognoni is certified both UNI EN ISO 9001 and BRC, one of the most important food safety standards.

In one hundred years, things have changed, outside and inside the company. I remember the sleeps in the back of the van. My grandfather and my father would always send me to bring the box of tools, hot iron branded mark, hammers, knives and probe. Instant photos, flashbacks: the farmhouses, the carts, the people who knew each other by name, the markets, the joy of the people, the shouts, the smiles. A century seems to have passed and we have moved on. Today, there are controlled temperature cold rooms, air-conditioned vehicles, modern offices, the Export department and the new Quality control department. The young people, who have allowed the company to grow, are always here: reactive, full of energy, used to hard work. They wake up early and trot around all day; they are the soul, the engine that drives us. Every now and then, we raise our voice a little. Before long, with an honest smile and a slap on the shoulder, everything goes back into place.