Galbani – 140 years and counting…

Image courtesy of Osteria Olga

Galbani – 140 years and counting…

In my early days of working in a cheese shop, I sold a little Italian import known as Galbani Bel Paese.

I did not know much about the brand, or the cheese, other than it was imported from Italy. It had a mild taste and my customers loved it!

I thought it was long overdue to share the story of this iconic brand (and cheese) and how they got started.

The Early Days

In the early 1880’s, Davide Galbani was working as a blacksmith in Ballabio (province of Lecco – about 50km northeast of Milan). When his son, Egidio returned home from military service, the two decided to go into business together. Their first attempt was to make and trade soap (thankfully, this attempt failed), but then father and son looked around to the area they lived in – lush valleys, growing dairy and cheese production – and they knew that the time to enter the dairy business was right. They borrowed 500 lira from a family friend and began both commercial dairies, as well as small independent dairies to purchase and treat the milk. After some initial success, they moved to Maggianico, to be closer to better milk suppliers, while continuing to age other producer’s cheeses in nearby caves.

Image courtesy of Osteria Olga

In 1882, the first cheese that father and son produced was a Robiola (shown above) packed in a small 250g rectangle. The label showed a young Lucian dairy maiden, with a dairy cow and goat.

While this region was known for cheeses like Robiola and Taleggio, Egidio wanted to offer more. After some initial success, Egidio traveled to France and was inspired by the local cheeses from Toulouse and Normandy. Their next cheese they created was Margherita and they started winning numerous awards.

With domestic issues like Italian Unification (1861) and the Third War of Independence (1866) were behind them, Northern Italy began to grow and develop with new rail lines that could help move their products far beyond their little village.

Entering his cheeses in the Brussels, Paris, and Munich exhibitions gave Egidio the momentum to move even further ahead.

Image courtesy of Osteria Olga

These cheeses became so popular, that a catalog was published in the late 1890’s under the banner of: “Delicacy, Economy, and Elegance”.

Up to this point, Davide’s name may have been on the label, but it was clearly Egidio that was the creative, driving force behind the operations.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Of these early days, the Dizionario biografico degli italiani, Vol. 51, 1998 reported “The (Galbani) business started with modest sales of dairy products from Lecco area herdsmen during the summer months. In this case, however, for thirty years the key player in the company was not a family, but an individual entrepreneur, Egidio Galbani. He did not limit himself to being a salesman. He soon began producing his own cheeses, which were related to the typical cheeses of the area. He also aimed to imitate the soft “luxury” French cheeses, which, at that time, were imported from the country on the other side of the Alps in large quantities”.

 By 1898 there were twelve workers, by 1899, they founded their own laboratory, and in 1900 they built a new factory in Milan.

The Dawn of a New Century

The year 1900 brought all of the hopes, dreams, and endless possibilities together. Egidio was going to enter his products in the Exposition Universelle of 1900 (Better known as the 1900 Paris Exhibition). This exhibition which ran from April 14th to Nov 12th, 1900 brought nearly 50 million people to the beautiful Art Nouveau halls and pavilions to experience such new innovations such as talking films, escalators, and diesel engines.

Photo Courtesy of Luiciano Cassol

Within the “Palace of Agriculture” many countries across Europe and America were represented for judging. While Italy had 21 manufacturers and 30 products entered, they were up against 800 manufacturers from France and 150 products. Edigio walked away with a gold medal and was quoted as saying: "The fact that the Jury of the 1900 Paris Exhibition (which was attended by producers of this kind from all countries) awarded me the First Prize is the most flagrant and irrefutable proof that my specialties can compete with those from other countries." – Egidio Galbani

Egidio was so proud of these early medals that they sat prominently in the corner of his office.

With plenty of medals to back him up, he was ready to create a new cheese that could be known as truly Italian, but that could be easily compared to many European classics. 

Image Courtesy of Storiaechiesa

His cheese creation was to be named Bel Paese, which means “beautiful country”. This cheese was named, not only for the region, but also named after the book Il Bel Paese which was written by Antonio Stoppani in 1876 (If you look closely at the wheel shown below, the image of the man on the wheel is not Egidio Galbani, but the author, Antonio Stoppani. The man holding the wheel is Carlo Campominosi, CEO for Galbani and the "public face” of the company).This first wheel also featured a map of Italy, which included the railways at the time – A key selling point in distributing Bel Paese to all of Italy and beyond. Early wheels were wrapped in cellophane and transported in wooden, round crates.

Photo: Source

An early description of Bel Paese was described as “A delicately flavored, Ivory-colored cheese that is soft and yielding, not only to the touch, but in the taste too.”

Because of these qualities, its popularity grew quickly and newspapers across the United States started to refer to it in recipes, cooking, and entertaining. This became one of Galbani’s flagship cheeses. 

Since first arriving in the United States, it was being supported by an importer in New York, but the cheese’s popularity grew so much that in 1938, a local newspaper reported:“Societa Anonima Egidio Galbani of Melzo, Italy, manufacturer of Bel Pease cheese, will soon open New York offices. The organization will be called the Bel Paese Sales Company, and will handle a full line of Galbani products, including Bel Paese, Melzo, Gorgonzola and other staple Italian cheeses”. – The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Newspaper 26 July 1938”.

The popularity was so strong, that the United States Department of Agriculture had to create Circular No. 522 in April 1939 which outlined a Standard of Identity for “A Soft Cheese of the Bel Paese Type”. (You can read the full report here)

Aging wheels of Bel Paese, Photo Courtesy of Luiciano Cassol

Domestically produced Bel Paese

Once this report was published, it would not be long before producers in the U.S. would want to copy it, so it was agreed that Bel Paese cheese would be produced domestically in the U.S.

Purity Cheese, located in Mayville, Wisconsin was the only manufacturer that was given license to produce Bel Paese outside of Italy. A 1967 newspaper article reported, Purity Cheese President, K.W. Royer explained the special “baby sitting” that was required to make this specialty cheese: “The coagulated curd is dipped into perforated molds and allowed to settle. Kept warm by running water, the coagulated protein is not pressed but turned over repeatedly. When it is of the proper consistency, the cheese is taken to a room which is kept at a constant temperature of 90 degrees. “This is critical”, K.W. Royer, president, explained, pointing out that “mother nature is doing her work.” When the cheese is completely processed, it is given a brine bath and then taken to the cooling rooms located in old underground brewer caves. “Very few cheese companies still use caves,” Royer stated, “but it is the only way you can make this type of cheese.”

After the Bel Paese has been completely processed, it is waxed and racked and taken to the main plant where it is wrapped, labeled and stored ready for sale.

The plant handles 10,000 pounds of milk, producing 1,000 pounds of Bel Pease a day. – The Reporter Newspaper (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) 14 July 1967.

Today, 140 years later, Fresh Mozzarella, Ricotta, Mascarpone, and Provolone are now the primary cheeses produced domestically (as well as multiple plants in Italy)…but Bel Paese still has a special place in the company’s heart.

Galbani, since 1882 – With 140 years in business, and producing Bel Paese since 1906, it’s easy to see why their slogan since 1956 has been “Galbani vuol dire fiducia” (Galbani means trust).

As a proud employee of Galbani, I am grateful to have shared this story with you!

Your Cheese Traveler,

Trevor