Unpasteurised cow's milk. Reggio-Emilia, Italy. Organic
Established in the early part of the 1980s the Bio Hombre farm covers 300 hectares of rich grazing land and reverted to traditional organic systems in 1994. The farm's crops were chosen by needs of the dairy herd, which today consists of 500 Italian Frisian cows with 240 milking cows. The resting cows freely roam the luscious pastures and are destined for future production. The farm has recently seen the arrival of 100 Bruna Alpina (Alpine Brown) heifers who will improve the quality of the Parmesan.
All the animals at the farm are treated with homeopathic veterinary products to ensure that no pharmacological residues, such as antibiotics enter the milk. The cows are fed a daily course of fodder and cereal from the Hombre mill.
The Bio Hombre farm produces 6,000 litres of milk which is processed to make just 12 wheels of parmesan. The evening's milk is skimmed and poured into the dairy vats, where it remains until the fresh full cream milk is added in the morning. The mixture of milk is finally transferred to the famous Parmigiano Reggiano copper moulds. The wheels are then transferred to the salting room for 18 days before they are left to age for 24 months.
Bio Hombre is a 'closed-cycle' dairy which means they control the entire process of production on the farm, from the caring and feeding of the animals, to the production of the milk and rennet and most importantly to the ageing of the Parmesan in the farm's climate controlled curing house. Immediately after salting they are transferred to start maturing where the cheeses are routinely cleaned and checked every two weeks. When the parmesan reaches 12 months it is subject to the hammer test assessment, which can only be carried out by an official cheese tester from the Consorzio di Tutela del Parmigiano-Reggiano (the Parmesan body of control) and if the Parmesan passes only then can it receive the official eyelet Parmigiano Reggiano fired brand. To date 100% of Bio Hombre Parmesan has been awarded the Parmigiano Reggiano brand (which is an unprecedented percentage).
Also Bio at 18 months Bio Hombre take the unusual step of requesting for a second official testing to ensure extra quality and to confirm the Parmesan's identity with the Bio Hombre round medal.
Bio Hombre Parmesan is 100% dietary and easy to digest; it has a low-fat content which is highly nutritious. In fact it has an enormous protein content of 35% while the fats account for no more than 25%.
