It is perhaps the ultimate success story: an Italian maker of Grana Padano sets up shop in the Czech Republic and produces such a fine version of the world famous hard cheese, that he then starts exporting it back to the country where it was invented. That has inevitably made him a target of Italian protectionists who claim EU “geographical indications” (GIs) on many the country’s world famous products.
The family of the entrepreneur in question, Roberto Brazzale, has been involved in the production of the Parmesan-style grana cheese and butter for more than 200 years. Today, the family company Brazzale owns brands such as Alpilatte, Asiago DOP, Grana Padano DOP, Burro delle Alpi butter and Zogi, a range of cheeses and pastes.
In the 1990s Brazzale began thinking about moving some of his production to elsewhere in Europe where there was high quality and cheap milk. He reviewed several Central and Eastern European countries, and picked the Czech Republic mainly because of the superior quality of milk and the environmental standards there.
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