Article by Matteo Donelli
The extraordinary world of aromas and flavors.
Italian cheese at the center of sensory exploration thanks to a refined refinement activity.
Up to "weddings" between cheeses and cocktails beyond the boundaries of the most extreme sensory fantasies capable of drawing the attention of the refined world of elite international cuisine.
The pride of years and years of research and experimentation is BluGins aged cheese with Gin recognized by specialists and amateurs of the restaurant world as a true "revolution".
The path to achieve these results has very ancient origins.
Terre del Piave province of Treviso, Casearia Carpenedo. Historical company of the area with deep roots.
The history of the company began in the early 1900s when Ernesto Carpenedo, Antonio's father, began as a “casein” (in Venetian dialect it means grocery store). At that time in the grocery store in the city of Preganziol you could find all kinds of food such as flours, cheeses, bread, all products with genuine and quality flavors. Antonio Carpenedo, who since childhood helped his father in the shop, grew up in this environment inheriting a passion that seems to be in the DNA of the Carpenedo family: in fact, following a meticulous research, a written document was found, where a certain Domenico Carpenedo in 1858 delivered to a convent of nuns some “formai inscartosai de cretta e foiame” (cheeses wrapped in clay and leaves).
One hundred years later Carpenedo is still on the crest of the wave thanks to its internationally renowned experimentation laboratory.
Antonio Carpenedo's great adventure as a refiner began in 1976 when he rediscovered an ancient tradition preserved by the farmers of the Piave area: that of putting the cheese under the marc during the harvest. This tradition originates in the days of conflict of the First World War, when the farmers, in order to preserve the cheese wheels from the raids of the belligerents, had the idea of hiding them under the fermenting pomace. In that year Antonio begins to experiment with the first refinements of Ubriaco cheese, the first important registered trademark of the Carpenedo family. He was therefore the first to put these now famous dairy specialties on the market.
The sons Ernesto and Alessandro who recently took over the management of the company begin, as per family DNA, to give voice to their strong creativity: from the use of pomace we have passed in recent years to the experimentation of new ingredients such as hay, leaves of walnut, pepper, spices, beer, liqueurs and many others that now make up the vast repertoire of “Cantina® cheeses”.
It is 2015 when, on the occasion of the celebrations for Antonio Carpenedo's 50th anniversary, the family thinks of a truly original idea. Combine cheese with cocktails. Yes, because the creative dimension never stops, and represents the common thread between generations. From this idea, the collaboration with established bar tenders in northern Italy was born. Thus begins a very complex experimentation that will take a long time. The perfect recipe will arrive in 2017. An intriguing blue cheese from cow's milk is born that perfectly marries one of the most loved spirits in the world. From an original combination an equally bizarre name "BLUGINS" dressing the wrapping with the texture of the fabric of the famous jeans.
The creations of the products are the result of stories and stories of life: from the "Vento d'Estate" cheese aged in mountain hay and born during a trip to Monte Grappa, to the "Blu '61", blueberry aged with Raboso raisin wine and blueberries reds. Casearia Carpenedo today exports to over 26 countries in the world with a turnover of over 5 million euros with a constantly growing trend.
Blu61 was the cheese that marked the turning point for the dairy. Born to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Antonio and his wife Giuseppina (they married in 61, hence the name of the cheese). A unique product that has conquered Harrods in London and the business class of famous flag airlines. The famous singer John Legend has publicly expressed his appreciation to the cheese proposed at the Cipriano hotel in Venice.
Thanks also to this all-Italian reality, cheese has come a long way since it was simply comparable to a processing of rennet, milk and salt.
Experimentation and more and more awareness that cheese can be considered a real hedonistic good capable of satisfying the emotions of the senses.
These experimental products are now offered and sought after by top French restaurants, the world homeland of cheese that recognizes Italian excellence in the Carpenedo dairy.
Article by Matteo Donelli
