"I started from this old abandoned dairy, in the heart of Aosta, to make my dream come true: to recover and enhance high-quality cheeses produced by small local producers." This is how Stefano Lunardi, founder of the ErbaVoglio project, begins his story as he serves the last customer of the day. After closing the shop, he invites us to the basement for a cheese tasting paired with a Petite Arvine wine from a small local producer.
Stefano talks about his academic career in Forestry Services and his first work experiences in a small company. He always wanted to do something to enhance his land and couldn't stop thinking about cheese. He explains how the abandonment of the mountains is a serious problem that leads to the closure of small companies, unable to compete with large corporations.
In the 2000s, Stefano began studying the composition of pastures to understand the relationship with the quality of cheese, with the aim of creating an "identity card" for cheeses, similar to that of wines. This would allow producers and consumers to recognize the quality of cheeses by knowing their history and origin.
Even though the project is not yet complete, Stefano does not give up. With the support of some investors, he founded the Val D'Avas km 0 association, a group of small producers with the aim of improving territorial marketing through tastings, events and education. "I think that local development comes from every actor in the food chain," he says.
In 2011, Stefano had the opportunity to buy an old dairy in the center of Aosta. "I started thinking: it's now or never." He contacted Professor Cavallero, one of the leading experts on pastures, and together they decided to launch ErbaVoglio. "Madness? Yes, but also perseverance." Without a business plan, but after years of research, the company is finally growing rapidly. Soon they will launch "Ranquefleur": the first cheese with an identity card, produced in a limited edition of 240 forms from 20 cows in 20 selected pastures.
Stefano's story is not just about cheese. It teaches us to nourish our dreams, follow them and decide to act, with a pinch of madness and perseverance.
