What Caseificio Bio Reggiani is

Caseificio Bio Reggiani is an organic dairy producing Parmigiano Reggiano, with its main site at Via Francesco Baracca 6/A in Recovato di Castelfranco Emilia, in the province of Modena. It is a producer first: the cheese is made and matured here, then sold through its own shops and online. Treat it as a food producer's premises rather than a museum, and the visit makes sense if you want to understand what you are eating.

The organic conversion was described as a costly process applied across the production chain, as reported when the second shop opened. In practice the dairy says it applies organic production rules to every stage of its supply chain, and the cheese is sold under the Parmigiano Reggiano name. If organic production is the reason you are interested, this is the detail to ask about on a tour.

The dairy's organic Parmigiano Reggiano also appears in the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium's own online shop, which is a useful cross-check that the piece you buy carries the consortium name as well as the dairy's. That matters if you want the product you take home to match what you tasted here.

Where the dairy and its shops are

The production site sits at Recovato di Castelfranco Emilia, on the plain outside Modena toward Castelfranco Emilia, and the shop address published by the dairy is Via Francesco Baracca 6/A. This is the address to use if you are driving and want to reach the dairy itself rather than a city shop. Check the route before setting out, because the hamlet is outside the city centre.

In Modena, the dairy announced a second shop, Bioreggiani 2.0, at Strada Corletto Sud 320 with a March 2023 opening event reported at the time. That address is the one to check first if you are in the city without a car, but the report is historical, so confirm it is still trading before making the trip.

For the wider picture of what else is worth your time in the city, see the Modena Attractions: 4 Visitor Guides, which covers the food landmarks that pair naturally with a cheese stop. The city centre is compact enough to combine a shop visit with a balsamic cellar or a pasticceria in the same afternoon.

How the organic production works and which ages you can buy

The dairy's online shop lists Parmigiano Reggiano at 12, 18 and 24 months as standard, plus a tip cut from Modenese White Cow milk aged over 30 months. The maturation filter on the shop also runs up to 36, 40, 48 and 60 months, so there is a long ladder of ages to choose from. Older is not automatically better: it is drier, saltier and more crystalline, which suits grating and nibbling rather than melting.

A wedge cut from the Modenese White Cow tip is sold as a distinct product in its own right, sitting above the standard ages. If you are buying one piece to take home, a 24-month wedge is a versatile choice for pasta and risotto; the 30-month-plus tip is the one to eat on its own with a little aceto balsamico.

What to buy: 12, 18, 24 and 30+ month Parmigiano Reggiano

At 12 months the cheese is soft, milky and mild, good for slicing onto a plate or shaving over salad. At 18 months it firms up and gains a savoury edge that works grated over pasta, while 24 months is the point where it becomes nutty and crumbly enough to eat as a table cheese. These are the everyday grades and the ones most likely to suit a first purchase.

Beyond 30 months the texture turns grainy and the flavour sharp and concentrated, so buy a small piece rather than a kilo unless you know you like it. The listed online prices give a rough sense of scale: a 0.5 kg wedge of 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano is listed at 14,00 €, while the same weight aged over 30 months is 28,90 €. Use those figures as a guide to relative value, not as what you will pay in the shop.

Beyond the standard grades the dairy's range climbs through the longer maturations listed on its shop, and the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium's online shop also carries a certified organic Parmigiano Reggiano from Caseificio Bio Reggiani. A long-aged piece is a special-occasion buy rather than an everyday grater.

Buying at the shop versus ordering online

Buying at a shop lets you taste before committing and carry a piece home without postage. The trade-off is weight: a kilo of Parmigiano Reggiano in a suitcase is heavy and needs cool conditions, so buy small if you are moving on through Italy.

The online shop ships free in Italy on orders of €150 or more, and to Europe on orders of €300 or more, excluding non-EU countries. Delivery is quoted at three to four days standard, or 24 to 48 hours express, with dispatch on Monday to Thursday. If you are travelling light, ordering later from home is the sensible route rather than hauling a half wheel around Emilia-Romagna.

The same shop sells smaller accessories such as organic balsamic vinegar, jams and a gift card, which makes a vacuum-packed cheese and condiment order a reasonable present. Check the current catalogue and delivery terms on the site before you order, since ranges and shipping rules are set by the dairy.

Guided tours of the dairy

The dairy lists guided tours on its own site, and a tour of a working caseificio is where you see how the milk becomes wheels and how the maturing rooms are organised. Contact Caseificio Bio Reggiani directly to ask about dates, group size and whether a tour is running during your trip; the dairy is not open to drop-in visitors without a booking.

Booking matters because a dairy's visiting times depend on the production schedule, and tours are not a walk-in attraction. The shop page lists phone numbers for the Recovato site and for the customer and orders office, so call rather than turning up and hoping. Bring a cool bag if you plan to buy on the same day.

How much time to allow and what to combine nearby

If a tour is running, allow at least an hour for the tour and shop visit, plus travel time from Modena, which makes it a half-day outing. If you are only buying cheese, use whichever shop address the dairy confirms as open.

Back in Modena, pair the cheese with a balsamic visit at Acetaia Giusti, Modena, where the same Emilia-Romagna ingredients turn up in a different form. The two together make a coherent food day without turning into a sightseeing marathon.

For something sweet, Antica Pasticceria San Biagio, Modena, is a long-standing pasticceria, and a coffee at Caffè Concerto, Modena, rounds off a morning of eating. Keep the plan loose enough to fit around your cheese purchase.

Is the dairy worth the trip out of Modena?

Yes, if you want to see a working organic dairy and buy Parmigiano Reggiano at ages you rarely find at home; no, if you only want a convenient cheese stop, since the city shop's current status needs checking. Decide based on whether the dairy confirms a guided tour is running during your dates, since that is what justifies the drive to Recovato.

Either way, leave room in your bag for a 24-month wedge for cooking and a small piece of the older cheese for the table, and order online afterwards if weight is a problem. Confirm tour availability and shop details with the dairy before you travel.