Montasio PDO: a €95 million supply chain and 767 operators

The Central Inspectorate for Quality Protection and Fraud Prevention (ICQRF) of agri-food products of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF) has renewed, by Ministerial Decree, the authorization of CSQA to carry out control activities on the Montasio Protected Designation of Origin for the next three years.

Born in the 13th century, when the monks of the Moggio Udinese Abbey codified and refined the production techniques of the cheese from the plateau of the same name, Montasio PDO can today count on a supply chain that expresses around 6,000 tons of certified production and involves 767 operators , capable of generating 53 million euros in production value , equal to 95 million euros in consumer value (data from the Ismea-Qualivita 2025 Report).



The PDO supply chain is representative of both Friuli Venezia Giulia, where it ranks second in the PDO and PGI food sector by production value, within the regional basket of certified agri-food products that generates a total of 436 million euros, and Veneto, where it occupies third place among PDO food products and in a system with an overall value of 537 million euros (data from the Ismea-Qualivita 2025 Report).

Since 1984, the Consortium for the Protection of Montasio Cheese has safeguarded and promoted this excellence of Italy's agri-food heritage, an expression of the cheesemaking tradition of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Eastern Veneto .
Alongside promoting its nutritional qualities, confirmed by recent scientific studies, the Consortium invests in training, promoting the culture of PDO and conscious eating.

At the same time, the Consortium aims to strengthen the presence of Montasio PDO in international markets , with particular attention to Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA and Japan , also through European promotion programmes and co-marketing initiatives.

On the research front, an important study has been launched at Veneto Agricoltura to further validate the safety of the production process , strengthening the reliability of the product and its competitiveness on domestic and foreign markets.

The decision to reconfirm CSQA is dictated by the desire to maintain a high standard of protection for the supply chain, as Valentino Pivetta, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Montasio Cheese, states: “The renewal of trust in CSQA is the natural continuation of a path built over the years.”

"For CSQA, the renewal of the ministerial authorization represents an important confirmation of the competence, impartiality, and rigor with which we carry out our control activities to protect Italian Geographical Indications.
Montasio PDO is a product that embodies history, tradition, and economic value for the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions, as well as representing a heritage of knowledge and professionalism that deserves to be safeguarded.
Through an effective and transparent control system, we continue to guarantee the supply chain's compliance with the production specifications, helping to strengthen consumer confidence and support the competitiveness of one of the excellences of Made in Italy agri-food," declared Maria Chiara Ferrarese, General Manager and CEO of CSQA.

Montasio PDO confirms the value of the portfolio of PDO PGI products certified by CSQA , which currently includes 86 Geographical Indications : a figure that underlines the desire to support the development of quality agri-food supply chains, a symbol of Made in Italy and the vocation of the territories.

>> SEE THE MONTASIO DOP DATA SHEET <<