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Montecoppe: A passion for Italy beyond appliances

Smeg is a cooking brand, rich in tradition and passionate about heritage. The company's passion extends beyond appliances. It reaches into the heart and soul of Italy and celebrates everything that makes the country so special.

After almost 70 years, Smeg is still a family business, owned and run by the Bertazzoni family in Emilia, Gustalla in Northern Italy. Established as an enamelling plant, the acronym of Smeg (Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla – translates as Metal smelting in Emilia Gustalla), continues to serve as a memory of the company’s past and guide to the future.

After all these years, the Bertazzoni family continue to live and produce by the original core values that were created with the company in 1948. These include a love of place and a passion for culinary traditions – Italian values, not just Smeg’s.

This extends, not just to products but also a family owned cheese factory and farm located in Parma’s countryside. The farm, known as Montecoppe, sits inside a Nature Park and benefits from the protection given to the land.

The farm produces quality grain necessary to feed the Italian Friesian and Brown Swiss breed cattle. Their milk is then processed using the state-of-the-art facilities on-site and transformed in incredible Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese.

The cattle, left to graze in the fields, eat nutritionally rich hay and cereals, part of a firm belief in environmentally friendly farming methods. They are born and raised in an environment that totally respects nature and offers food that nourishes. This is passed into the milk, and consequently the cheese, to achieve the world-famous aromatic taste.

Not only is the land and cheese beautiful, the factory’s architecture is also striking. Its neo-gothic style is frequently found in the province of Parma and provokes thought about its previous intended use as an oratory, despite never being fully completed. Originally purchased in 1858 by the Duchess Maria Luigia, wife of Napoleon and daughter of the Emperor Francis II, the building was reconstructed and its neo-gothic facades can still be admired today.

The on-site farm shop is filled with the mesmerising fragrance of local products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, all at different ages and sizes. Salami, jam, mustard and many other products from the area, can also be found in this treasure trove, rich from local gastronomic tradition. The shop also sells wines, preserves and other quality food products that complete the offer.

Smeg is a cooking brand, rich in tradition and passionate about heritage. The company’s passion extends beyond appliances. It reaches into the heart and soul of Italy and celebrates everything that makes the country so special, including the local, delicious food. Montecoppe is another example of the investment Smeg continue to make in not only giving people amazing appliances to cook with, but also producing beautiful ingredients to take their creations to the next level.