After a buffet breakfast in Bologna, LEAD 41 departed for a meeting and plant visit to Inalca, where they process beef. Inalca was founded in 1963 by Mr. Luigi Cremonini. Inalca is recognized worldwide and the entire production chain of beef from farm to finished product is integrated within their company. It manufactures and markets a full range of beef, fresh and frozen, vacuum packed processed ready burgers, canned meat and meat extracts, both under its own brand and for third parties. More than 500,000 tons of beef is marketed by the company every year, of which approximately 100,000 tons of fresh and frozen hamburgers.
The class then visited Spaccio Bioreggiani and learned about the production process of the famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. They toured the dairy cattle facility, cheese production facility, cheese warehouse, and on farm store.
After the tour, a lunch of amazing lasagna with fresh ricotta was eaten and followed with a cheese tasting. Following Bioreggiani, the group then traveled to Siena, in Tuscany, for an overnight stay and time to explore the city and cuisine.
*Today’s blog contributors are Anna Shadbolt and Steve Vaughn, in addition to your blog team of Kari Christenson, Jakob Burke and MiK Fox.
Photos
Incala products displayed on shelves in the meeting room. Some of these looked familiar to fellows.
Painting of a beef carcass being processed displayed in the meeting room.
Fellows pose with the owner or the company and his daughter who explained how the company came to be and how it works today. Fellows then toured the facilities.
So much hay! This scene greeted the class as they walked into the dairy.
Fellows placed their stickers on the map to indicate where they’re from.
The map after fellows placed their stickers in Nebraska!
The class in front of the cauldrons that are used to start the process of creating parmesan cheese.
Our tour guide displaying the rings that are placed around the cheese wheels once they have come out of the cauldrons and are ready to be cooled.
Cheese wheels soaking in a heavily salted water bath. They will soak in this for 20 days.
A few of the class looking at some of the recently finished cheese. The cheese will then be put on a shelf to age.
LEAD fellows pose with their tour guide and a store room full of cheese!
The class was able to see the dairy facilities, the automatic feeders, and the milking parlor.
Fresh mozzarella that was served with the class’s lasagna lunch.
Fellows were able to try three different parmesan cheeses - one aged twelve months, another aged 20, and the last cheese aged to 40 months.
A group of the fellows out for dinner at a local restaurant. It was said that one or two of the fellows enjoyed their first steak that night since they had left Nebraska.
