The Pertusio Brothers: Roero's best artisanal cheesemakers - A story of Italian excellence

Tell us how the “Pastori del Roero” originated and also about your business.

Our adventure into cheese-making began almost by accident about 10 years ago. In 2020, we left the world of equestrian sports and dedicated ourselves full-time to our goats and cheese. The choice was driven by the growing appreciation and constant demand for our products.
Visitors can spend a few tranquil yet curious hours in the heart of our environment. They can walk with the goats through meadows and woods, milk them, and learn how to turn the milk into cheese. The experience concludes with a rich tasting of cheeses paired with wines, honey, seasonal fruits and vegetables, all produced locally.

What role do the Roero hills play in your production, and how does the local landscape influence your cheeses?

We were born and raised among these hills that are filled with unforgettable memories. One of the most exciting moments occurred four years ago when we moved our animals from a traditional barn to a forest. Watching them graze “free range” as it were, was absolutely priceless. We believe that animals produce better-quality milk, when they are content.
My brother and I are the link between nature and the end customer. Our inspiration stems from the smells and colours we breathe and experience every day. Our goal is to package these sensations in the milk and deliver them through our cheeses.
Our connection to the Roero territory is essential to our work. The immense biodiversity of these hills is the key to producing cheeses that are unique in the world for their tastes and smells.

Your production follows natural cycles rigorously. How do you reconcile tradition and innovation in your production, and what are the main challenges you face?

Tradition and innovation coexist perfectly in our work. Innovation is represented by providing the market with an extremely traditional product, made using processes and breeding methods that are now rare.
The main challenges we face come from nature itself: the weather has a significant effect on the amount of milk we produce.

If you had to describe your philosophy in three words, what would they be?

Dialogue, passion, respect.

Can you describe your cheesemaking process, and which product best represents your company?

Our cheeses contain only three ingredients: milk, vegetable rennet, and salt. We follow forms of processing as old as the history of cheese. The fourth ingredient, however, is time: we never rush the maturation of our products.
Our milk-based product par excellence is the “Robiola del Roero”.

How does your milk differ from that of intensive farming?

The actual processing of the milk: it takes three days for milk to turn into cheese. Thanks to natural acidification, we enhance all the smells from the pastureland. Unlike intensive farming, our animals change their diet almost every day, which means the smell of the milk and cheese changes constantly.

How do you make the uniqueness of your products known to customers, and how important is working together with other local realities?

We tell our story by working together with the students from the Slow Food university, who translate and enrich the tours around our farm.
Partnerships with local businesses are essential for spreading our ideas and products. We believe it is vital to communicate that the uniqueness of our cheeses comes from their inseparable bonds with the land where they are produced.

Have you had any special moments or encounters with customers that have left an indelible memory?

A whole host of occasions. One in particular involves an American family who enjoyed the visit and tasting session so much that they asked to stay with us and help with the animals. With the chores, chats, hay bales, wine and cheese, we became one big family, just as it used to be on farms in the past. That day, we said to ourselves: mission accomplished!
Conveying our passion is our main goal.

You have created unique experiences for your visitors, such as tasting sessions in pastures and in a “ciabot” mountain hut. What is the most common reaction you get from those who take part?

The absolute originality of our experiences evokes pleasant surprise in our visitors. For many, seeing the animals follow us around and allow themselves to be stroked and cuddled is like entering a fairy tale world, a million miles from their everyday life.

What are your expectations for the future of your company and experiential tourism in Roero?

More and more farms are moving towards a way of production founded on respect for nature.
We believe experiential tourism can be a winner for small farms and also larger ones. It is a type of conscious tourism that tiptoes into an authentic ecosystem.
Our dream is for the farm to continue growing while continuing to respect our ideas and principles, and that the same will happen throughout Roero. We must all stand firm against the appeals of commercialisation and preserve our priceless authenticity.