Our history

The fertile countryside around Cremona, a complex world economic context and 19 courageous farmers who decide to gather together. It was 1933 when the story of PLAC began. A cooperative that was born from the desire to share skills and resources in order to face difficulties together.

The collection of the milk provided by each farmer gave new strength and the possibility to produce excellent products of the territory for themselves: Grana Padano, Provolone and Butter.

The word Cooperative comes from Latin cum (together) and opera (toil, care, industry). It means working together and contributing to a common goal. PLAC’s guiding value is to generate value for its members by building something new for the benefit of everybody. Consumers too, through a continuous search for quality.

A search which involves many daily commitments: careful check of the supply chain, passion for a territory with an exceptional microclimate for the production and ageing of the cheeses, respect for artisan traditions from generation to generation. The Story of PLAC is the story of the people who build it every day. Faces, gestures, ideas. Members increase over the decades. Through various eras, many years lived growing and changing, always faithful to its identity. Today PLAC is even closer to the public with a new name and brand: Fattorie Cremona, to express the link with the origins and the territory.

TOGETHER

The price of milk is falling dramatically. In the Cremona countryside, 19 small farmers make the courageous decision to gather together and process the milk they produce into butter and cheese. It is 1933. The Cooperative is born. The collapse of Wall Street, sound films, totalitarianism, swing. Years of contrasts and turmoil. The economic crisis arrives in Italy, but there is someone who discovers new ways of sympathy.

INVENTIONS

Making wool from milk? It is possible! This is the ingenious discovery of PLAC, which opens a textile factory. In the meantime, production of Grana Padano cheese, butter and Provolone cheese continues. Pioneers of diversification, the members also start the tomato preserves business. In the middle of World War II, the economy is becoming increasingly self-supporting. It is necessary to face the scarcity of resources and imagine alternative technologies and materials.

GOALS
The number of small farms scattered throughout the territory joining PLAC is increasing. The quantity of collected milk reaches 25,000 tons and sales of Grana Padano and Provolone increase. In 1958, PLAC turns 25 years old. Times of reconstruction. After years of hunger, there is a desire for abundance on the table and Sunday lunch is a ritual. Cheeses are the right, yummy closure of the meal.

SAFETY
Consumers are more demanding and PLAC is committed to the safety and stability of its products. Milk is the key to everything. The quality of the raw material depends above all on the feed and the Cooperative rewards virtuous farms. With the economic boom comes the refrigerator, shopping is done at the supermarket and in August people go on holiday. Wellness is also rich food such as meat and cheese. People eat more and better.

INDUSTRY

Markets are complex and it is necessary to evolve accordingly. The Co-operative renews its facilities and structures itself as an industry. The heart remains tradition, the true wealth of PLAC. Handicrafts require slow rhythms and coexistence with technology. Austerity, protest, feminism. A cultural revolution and a difficult economic context. Fall in consumption is accompanied by new food demands: variety, quality and functional products.

EXCELLENCE
For the first time, the Co-operative exceeds the threshold of 50000 tons of collected milk. But quality is more important than quantity. PLAC focuses on the control of the supply chain and on the excellence of every single wheel of Grana and Provolone cheese and every stick of butter. Between hedonism and emerging environmental awareness, between junk food and health, a new food consciousness is emerging. Diet is a trend, but people are also looking for authenticity.

MODERNITY

PLAC is now a modern company, it strengthens its sales network and obtains ISO9001 Certification. The variety of cuts and formats, from Grana cheese cubes to small Provolone, meets new food needs and life styles. Internet, low cost flights, fast pace. A global world where food is consumed in a fragmented way and supermarket products are tailored to the needs of singles and a fluid society.

CHANGES

The merge with Latteria Italia brought new members and new production volumes. In the meantime, the Co-operative enlarged its facilities and obtained certifications for the supply chain, for Grana Padano and Provolone PDO cheeses. The immateriality of digital technology and new desires for pragmatism. Food is more than ever culture, experience and sharing. True flavors and products closely linked to the land are being rediscovered.

AUTHENTICITY
Growth means looking into the future, remaining authentic. Today the Co-operative becomes Fattorie Cremona. A new name to enhance territory, traditions and origins.