Discover the Bella Lodi brand: here's our interview.

In the heart of the Lombard Padana valley, in Lodi, the story of Caseificio Pozzali Lodigrana begins, famous also for their flagship product Bella Lodi.

Their family has always been connected to agriculture and the territory, and they decide to carry on this bond in their own way. Initially, the brothers structured their first dairy inside their father's farm, and it is here that they began to transform the milk, resulting from their production and that of some farms in the surroundings.
Immediately, the dairy had great success.

In the '90s, the company, which had meanwhile become Lodigrana, grew and diversified, gaining more and more experience and importance. In fact, the dairy perfected its food technology, which allowed it to obtain guarantees of quality and hygiene.

Lodigrana grew until it launched the dairy specialty that translates this family story into flavor: Bella Lodi, a sincere tribute to the millennial past of the Lodi land. After innovations and expansions, the plant excels in the Italian dairy sector also thanks to the production of lactose-free cheeses.

The key element that distinguishes the Caseificio is indeed tradition. One of the most typical and traditional products of this company is precisely the Bella Lodi, along with the Raspadura Bella Lodi, which reintroduces the ancient "raspa" technique, a way to serve cheese presenting it as thin slices, scraped with a particular long knife.

We love these realities, these producers of unique, certified, and award-winning delicacies: they are true treasures embedded in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We do not just focus on living their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us to get to know Lodigrana Bella Lodi: read their answers!

Who are we talking to?
I'm Secondo Pozzali, owner.
Is the company family-run? How many generations and since which year exactly?
Yes, it has been for 3 generations.
Who was the founder and what was his training or what was the working and professional field he came from if different from the current one?
Our story begins 3 generations ago a few kilometers from Lodi, in Casaletto Ceredano.
Giovanni Pozzali set up the first rural dairy within the family farm to transform the milk from the family production and some surrounding farms. From the recipe of Granone Lodigiano P.A.T. "the Founder" begins the production of a family of dairy excellences.
What is the real reason or triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
In the '90s, the company, now become Pozzali Lodigrana, grew and diversified until it launched the dairy specialty that translates this family story into flavor: Bella Lodi, a sincere tribute to the millennial past of the Lodi land.
What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell its story with your products?
The Granone Lodigiano is considered the ancestor of all "grana" cheeses.
It was famous for having the black crust like the molds on which the Madonna of the Sanctuary of our town sits, which is about 1 km from the Abbey of Cerreto where the monks began these productions; it is natural that we continue the tradition of a dairy specialty that is now recognized as PAT (Traditional Agri-food Product), one of the jewels of Italian gastronomic tradition.
What was the first product you created?
The Bella Lodi Classico black crust.
What is the product that today you consider your "flagship"?
The Raspadura Bella Lodi, it is another typical product of the tradition and has no equals, made completely by hand.
And what is the product that throughout the history of the company has most represented its beating heart, philosophy, and soul?
Still the Bella Lodi Classico black crust.
Talking about today: how much has the company grown since its inception? Can we have some numbers?
It has not "grown," it has always had quality as its primary objective, so production is limited and follows strict rules and principles: local milk, natural cream rising, selection of lactic ferments for a unique taste, manual spinning, copper boilers, pure linen cloths; production and aging are calibrated based on a constant weekly sensory analysis by a tasting group.
At this moment: more tradition or more innovation?
50% and 50%: tradition, as I said above, is the dogma, while innovation has allowed us to certify the natural absence of lactose and to certify the supply chain.
What has been the most important evolution of the company to bring it to where it is today?
To pursue and maintain unchanged its productive quality.
Talking about the future: what tomorrow awaits the company? Is there any change or new evolution process planned?
We have recently adopted the use of 100% recyclable packaging.
Do you plan to create new products?
Only if they are consistent with our philosophy related to maximum quality and tied to our tradition.
Having focused on Spaghetti & Mandolino, how important is online sales to you, what has been your past relationship with this sales channel, and how do you see it in the future?
It is an opportunity and will always be more so for family and artisanal businesses and for consumers who in some cases might never know and purchase some poorly distributed but often high-quality products. In the past, we have seen our product sold online by some of our customers, but never directly by us; we are producers, not distributors.
Value: what has it been, what is it today, and what will it be in the future for your company?
The quality, the tradition, the sustainability.