Along the banks of the River Po, where the morning mist rises above the water and the scent of fresh milk fills the air, lies a story shaped by time, people, and land.
This is Latteria Sociale Gonfo — a living symbol of Mantua’s dairy heritage and its enduring passion for Parmigiano Reggiano.
To a shared dream
The story of Gonfo begins in the 1920s, when a group of farmers from the lower Mantuan plain decided to come together to give greater value to their milk.
By the Po, in Motteggiana (MN), they built a small octagonal dairy with room for just one or two vats. Every morning, they would arrive carrying buckets of milk and bundles of wood, fuelling a process rooted in community and dedication.
What started as a handful of families soon became something greater — a shared vision of craftsmanship and quality that would outlast generations.
Growth through time and tradition
As Italy entered its economic boom in the 1960s, Latteria Gonfo evolved into a social cooperative. The farmers, still united by the same principles, became the owners of their dairy.
Production grew rapidly — soon exceeding 200,000 quintals of milk a year — and yet the core of their work remained unchanged: milk, rennet, salt, and time.
The same simple ingredients, the same slow rhythm — and a century later, the same unmistakable flavour.
A modern cooperative rooted in the land
Today, Gonfo processes around 280,000 quintals of milk each year, producing about 150 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano daily.
Inside its quiet aging rooms, over 54,000 wheels rest on wooden shelves, maturing patiently under the care of expert cheesemakers.
Every wheel tells the same story — of the fertile Po Valley, of 23 local farms that nurture their cows with home-grown forage, and of a craft that still relies more on human hands than on machines.
From Mantua to the world
Since 2005, Latteria Sociale Gonfo has proudly been part of Gourm.it consortium, bringing its Parmigiano Reggiano from the Po River to tables around the world — from France to Japan, from the United States to the Netherlands.
A hundred years of milk, skill, and passion continue to live on in every wheel.
Because here, in this corner of Mantua, Parmigiano Reggiano is not just made — it’s born, every single day.