Organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, Cheese is the world’s biggest international event dedicated to raw-milk cheeses and other dairy products, held in the Piedmontese town that’s also home to Slow Food’s international headquarters. The streets and squares of the historic centre will once again become the ideal stage where farmers, cheesemakers, cheesemongers and affineurs can reassert the importance of good, clean and fair production methods. The event will turn a much-needed spotlight on to the importance of quality ingredients, animal welfare and environmental protection.

This year, the 12th edition of the event will focus on a subject of crucial importance to the future of food. Natural Is Possible, the theme of Cheese 2019, represents another step along the journey that started with raw milk and has now reached natural cheeses, those made without the assistance of little packets of starter cultures prepared with bacteria selected in laboratories and reproduced industrially by a handful of multinationals. The aim is to show that cheeses made without selected starter cultures are richer in biodiversity and a more authentic expression of local terroir. The question of naturalness is relevant not only for cheese, but represents a wider challenge that also impacts cured meat, bread and wine. At Cheese 2019, we’ll be showcasing cured meats made without the use of nitrites and nitrates, wines without sulfites and selected yeasts and naturally leavened sourdough bread, because we believe that natural food is not only more delicious, but also better for our health and less harmful to the environment and its resources.