Grana Padano PDO aged 9 months from Latteria Sociale Mantova, supplied in vacuum-packed wedges of about 2 kg cut from the whole wheel. A cooked, hard, semi-fat cheese made only with raw, partly skimmed cow's milk, salt, rennet and lysozyme from egg, protected by the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). At 9 months the paste is mild, finely grainy and highly soluble, with hints of butter and nuts: the ideal all-purpose grating cheese for professional Italian kitchens.
What Grana Padano PDO Is
Grana Padano is one of the most produced PDO hard cheeses in the world. Its history dates back to around the year 1135, when the Cistercian monks of the Chiaravalle Abbey near Milan created a long-keeping cheese, the "caseus vetus", to preserve the surplus milk of the Po Valley. The grainy texture that breaks into flakes gave it the name "grana". Production rules are set by a European PDO specification and overseen by the Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano, which fire-brands the diamond-shaped marks and the four-leaf-clover logo onto every compliant wheel.
Origin and Producer
This Grana Padano is made by Latteria Sociale Mantova, a dairy cooperative founded in 1929 in Porto Mantovano, in the province of Mantua (Lombardy). It is one of the largest Grana Padano producers in Italy: it processes over 700,000 kg of milk a day and turns out around 1,380 wheels daily across five plants in the Mantua area. The cooperative has won numerous gold medals at the World Cheese Awards. The milk comes from member farms of the Po plain, the heartland of the Grana Padano designation.
Sensory Profile
At 9 months of ageing Grana Padano shows a straw-white to pale-yellow paste with the typical fine grain. The flavour is delicate and sweet, milky, with light notes of fresh butter and hazelnut and a clean, never bitter finish. The texture is firm yet friable and melts readily, which makes the young ageing especially versatile in the kitchen compared with longer-aged batches.
Technical Specifications
Cooked hard cheese, minimum 32% fat on dry matter. Ageing 9 months. Ingredients: raw cow's milk, salt, rennet, egg lysozyme (preservative). Allergens: milk and egg. Nutrition per 100 g: 1654 kJ / 398 kcal, fat 29 g (of which saturates 18 g), carbohydrate 0 g, protein 33 g, salt 1.5 g. Format: vacuum-packed wedge of about 2 kg cut from the whole wheel. Storage at +4/+8 °C.
Professional Uses
Grated at the end of cooking it finishes risotto alla milanese, fresh and dried pasta, soups and minestrone; add it off the heat to keep the aroma. Shaved into flakes it dresses beef carpaccio, rocket salads and bresaola. As a table cheese it pairs with honey, mostarda and dried fruit on a cheese board. Use roughly 60 g of grated Grana per 320 g of risotto for four. The rind, scraped clean, can be simmered in broths and bean soups to add depth, then removed before serving.
Pairings
Grana Padano 9 months works with risotto rice such as Carnaroli, fresh and dried pasta, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar of Modena and cured meats. On the board it matches honey, walnuts and a glass of structured red. It is a natural companion to pasta dishes and a key ingredient of countless Italian recipes prepared every day in restaurants and pizzerias.
Delivery and Logistics
B2B and B2C delivery throughout Switzerland from the LAPA warehouse in Embrach (Zurich). Cold chain at 2-4 °C guaranteed by the LAPA fleet across Zurich, Winterthur, Aargau, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Zug, Bern and Basel. For Ticino (Lugano, Bellinzona, Locarno), French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey, Sion), Valais and mountain regions (Davos, St. Moritz, Chur) delivery within 24-48 hours via certified food-grade couriers (Swiss Post Frigo-Express, Planzer, Galliker, Camion Transport). Service tailored for restaurants, pizzerias, gelato shops, pastry labs, hotels, delicatessens, Italian grocery stores and private customers passionate about Italian cuisine.
Who It Is For
A professional staple for restaurants, pizzerias, hotels, delicatessens and pastry labs that need a reliable, well-priced grating and table cheese, as well as for Italian grocery stores and home cooks who want authentic Grana Padano PDO in Switzerland.
