Beppino Occeli

Traveling through the Peidmont Region in the northwest of Italy, one gets quickly used to the sights of valleys and gorges filled with winding roads that speak to weightlessness.  As you go to the south of Cuneo, you find mountain peaks of rock formations from the Alps peaking through; giving you the pleasure-like sensation of finding a new discovery in an antique shop.

In discovering something truly special, moving through the mountains, you go near Mondovi, south through Pamparato and land in the, pictureque, clean, and simple, town of Valcasotto.  Perched on top of a small gorge, cobblestone streets line roughly 13 buildings, in total, and one of them belongs to Beppino Occelli Formaggi.  Along with a Bar that the formaggeria owns and operates, it is a simple, yet rich scene for the production, consumption, and appreciation of local food.

I am here for a tour with Deborah, Beppino's export manager, to see the "caves" of the 'joint'.  She is pleasant and hospitable in showing me the unusual set-up belonging to the company.  Having never been to an official 'cheese village', I am enthralled by their set-up. It includes:  a quaint retail shop, a corner restaurant, beautiful hotel, buildings with plenty of aging space, and a mill built from the Napoleon time in 1802, restored in 2005.

A view of the enclosed mill & restaurant seating

The hotel above the restaurant

The Langhe is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro, in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy.  The area is protected by UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations dedicated to the preservation of cultural and natural heritages around the world.  Notable to the area are vineyards making Barolo wine, the Maritime Alps, and hunters in search of the elusive, white truffles.  The microclimate in the area is greatly affected by its position close to the Mediterranean.  The salt water air is a nice benefit to the cheese makers, from the standpoint that, compared to similar cheeses made in different parts of the world, less salt is needed overall.  The effect is one of beauty; rainfall moves it’s way down the differing mountains all of the way down to the bottom of the gorges and provides a perfect place to make and age cheese.  In fact, for many years, the caves used by Occelli featured that rainfall inside its maturation area as the perfect agent of humidity that cheese aging requires.

As new regulations have been put in place and Occelli has expanded and refurbished their operations they have developed a spectacular aging facility that is quite unique.  You see, in most "cave" atmospheres, there are usually one or two rooms, all on the same level. Sometimes, you will get some differing rooms, spread out over an expanse that may go up or down a few feet.  However, this set up is constructed within 3 floors, all stacked on top of each other, ending at the bottom of the gorge, where the temperature and humidity both are at their lowest.  

Each room is visually spectacular with exposed wood, nice lighting, and many dividers made of floor-to-ceiling glass.

VIDEO HERE

Inside you will find all of Occelli’s cheese, made with both pasteurized and raw milks, from sheep, cow, and goats that are cared for and grazed all in the Piedmont.  The cheese is made in central locations, often (depending on which cheese and/or animal) in the mountains. The award winning butter comes with stamps that are moulded with a beautifully, distinct, cow imprint, using left over milk and whey from the cheese making efforts.  With the milk being 'naturally' salted from the sea, great care is made to ensure that the cheeses arrive safely at the affinage location with minimal disturbance in time for flipping, and sometimes, additional salting.  Made with just milk, salt, and rennet, the cheeses are made with high quality milk and great attention to doing things the traditional way. 

Extending that tradition to the affinage, the entire facility is made with either concrete or rock walls.  It has a capacity of 25,000 wheels of cheese with every structure, shelf, and even the nails, being made entirely of wood.  No detail is spared.  The overall layout is organized by cheese and differing needs.  Different rooms use different woods, with slightly different humidity and temperature levels.  Boards are cleaned only with hot water, without the use of soap, so as to eliminate any moulds/flavor from escaping.  Giant chestnut boards are used for the ceilings of the rooms while helping with the humidity.  (For me, it’s worth it in beauty alone). 

In the middle of one of the rooms, they have a miniature stone house, built to display the reason for the name behind one of their flagship cheeses called, Losa.  The cheese is named after the stones used for centuries as rooftops for huts at the top of the mountains.  These ‘old’ houses and huts still exist and some are even in use.  

For my money, the pinnacle of the experience is the bottom of the stairs down to the lowest level.  The water trickles down through the area into a fountain style bowl made of rock with handmade troughs that move the water into the various rooms, thereby greatly enhancing the humidity.  Built for ‘smaller’ people, the area is compact, dank, and wet.  Definitely a place I would love to live and sleep!

An elevator for those not brave enough for the stairs.

        

After completing the tour, we went into their restaurant/bar and had the pleasure of sitting down to a terrific tasting plate of their terrific roster of flavors assembled by their kitchen staff and head chef, Alessandra.  The space is cute, clean, and cozy.  There is a fireplace in the corner, tables and chairs for thirty, and a small walk-up bar.  It is a perfect spot for post-hiking activities, before retiring to your room at the end of the night.  I can only imagine what the place must feel like in the winter.

Off from the kitchen, they have a small, closet size, pantry, that supplies the restaurant.

The tasting experience I was offered was immensely satisfying.  Personally, when I am tasting food and begin experiencing things in my "highly recommended" zone, I start to giggle.  You see, I get so much joy that I literally can't stop laughing.  It makes it fun, satisfying, and a little embarrassing.

The cheeses I tasted were primarily cheeses that are available in the U.S., with each one of them being well crafted and full flavored.  Their full offering of cheeses range from the fresh cream end of things to the aged, blue side, but for my interests, I stuck to those that would be attainable for importing to America.  Of course, the condiments and 'pre-cheese' offerings were wonderful as well, with the standouts being their world famous, award-winning butter, and a homemade apple marmalade mustard.  10+!

 

Black Bread with Cherry Butter, Flan with Losa, Valcasotto Cheese Fondue

The complete roster of cheeses:  (Starting at top and going clockwise) Verzin, Ocelli Borolo, Chestnut Leaves Ocelli, Toma w/ Truffle, Tuma d'la paja, Valcasotto, Losa, and, in the middle, Ocelli w/Fruit  

The flagship Losa, is made by covering the curd in linen cloth and then turning the cloth, giving the centers a beautiful crusty rind.  Made with both raw goat & cow's milk, the cheese is in a short, square form (think Taleggio), with a crusty rind.  The paste is soft & pliable (much more than it looks) and is aged around 45 days.  The taste is milky and buttery, while I found some hints of sweet citrus.  The finish is long and moves toward the rind in a pleasant way.  With a similar appearance, the Valcasotto, is a raw cow's milk aged up to 150 days.  Named after the "Valley of Casotto", this cheese became famous as the desired offering at the castle of King Charles Albert of Savoy.  It has a tannish paste, and comes off with a nice balance and is surprisingly smooth.  Relatable to Landaff in the U.S., it is of smaller size, but with bigger 'eyes' - the mustard made it sing!.

Young Losa, aging on the shelf

I tried two versions of the cheese Tuma, one made with truffles.  They are both excellent representations of what milk can become in the hands of experts with just a bit of aging.  Milky, fluffy, and with just the right hint of hazelnut, it makes use of penicillium camemberti as a rind.

Verzin, the blue cheese made with cow's milk, is pliable and stays together without smearing.  It is very soft and creamy, with a slightly piquant, round mouth feel.  With the creamy beginning, bright middle, and slightly tangy-sour finish, it compares to Fourme d'Ambert.

Beautiful shelves!

Lastly, the three cheeses branded with the name Ocelli, could not me more different from each other.  First, the barolo has the slighted terosene crystal development, with a cheddar density and brittleness.  The rinded barolo brings a well of deep plum like fruitness with small crunch.  Second, the chestnut leaved Ocelli has an amber appearance with deep hues.  The soft, breakaway paste, smells of chestnuts(duh!), and is rich, decadent, and reminds of the experience of eating a caramel cheesecake.  Third, the Ocelli with Fruit experience is complex with a very busy mouthfeel.  A smorgasbord of flavor results from the combination of many different flavors, while offering the experience of being a completely different food, depending on which fruit/cheese combination you are chewing through.

Spectacular mould with fuzzies they call, with translation, cat hair.

Overall, the lasting impression of my visit, is one of taste.  The story everyone tells about Beppino, the farm, and the dairy is always about the evolution and development of taste.  No stone is unturned, or expense spared when it comes to making what they feel is the best tasting products they can offer.

Additionally, you can tell that they are serious about the land, the surroundings, and the people of the community.  From the project of restoring the village buildings and mill, to attracting locals to work in every aspect of the business, the company shines because of people like Deborah, Alessandra, and Felice, one of their affineurs.  I can't think of a better environment to belong to as an employee, resident, tourist, or passerby.  Both the cheeses and residences are fit for a king, and have been used as such, while even making room for animals and nature alike!