NEW YORK – The Fontina DOP Consortium (Consorzio Tutela Fontina), the entity that protects and promotes the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese from the Aosta Valley in Italy, announced that it will participate in the European Union funded promotional program Top Tales.
Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table is a project supported by the European Union to promote Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG, Fontina DOP from Valle d’Aosta, and Rice di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese. The European communication campaign is designed to increase the awareness of the four PDO products in the United States market. In partnership with renowned denominations such as Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP, the Fontina DOP Consortium aims to bring its high-quality cheese to the tables of US consumers through a series of initiatives such as events, media relations, advertising, and social media campaigns.
Fontina DOP cheese already took part in Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening (BBWO) on February 4, 2020, at Centre 415 in New York City. At the event, food & wine professionals and consumers could taste the renowned wines from Barolo in company with Fontina DOP cheese and risotto recipes with Rice di Baraggia. In December 2020 Fontina DOP secured a partnership with Eataly NYC Flatiron where dishes with the renowned Aosta Valley cheese will be served through March 2021 and customers will be able to purchase Fontina DOP in the retail store.
In 2021 the Fontina DOP Consortium plans to promote its high-quality cheese in the US, participating in the Summer Fancy Food Show at the end of June at the Javits Centre in New York City. Trade professionals will have the opportunity to discover the history behind Fontina cheese, a tradition that dates back to 1477 when Fontina was first mentioned in a medician’s document.
Produced only in the mountainous Aosta Valley, the smallest Italian region with an average altitude of 2.600 meters above sea level, Fontina DOP is the “highest” cheese in Europe, unique and inimitable.
Through the Top Tales campaign, the Fontina DOP Consortium aims to protect the appellation from misleading information that can be found on the shelves in the US. To be called Fontina, the cheese must come from the Aosta Valley in Italy, following distinct production methods, using specific milk types, and carrying the Fontina trademark.
About Consorzio Tutela Fontina: The Consortium was created in 1957 to protect Fontina DOP, its production and distribution. The entity releases the Fontina DOP trademark on every wheel of Fontina produced following the Consortium’s rules.
About Top Tales: Top Tales is a project supported by the European Union aimed at promoting Fontina DOP from Valle d’Aosta, Rice di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP, and the DOCG’s Barolo and Barbaresco. The European communication campaign Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table is designed to increase the awareness of the three DOP products in the United States market.
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