On June 26, 200 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Emilia-Romagna will be delivered to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs [2]. Part of the cheese will be distributed to the employees of the Ministry who signed a petition in favor of the earthquake-struck cheese manufacturing plants, part of it will be shipped to 70 Italian Diplomatic Missions abroad, which adhered to the charitable initiative.

The “Parmigiano-Reggiano Diplomatico” project started only two weeks ago and it already raised almost 100,000 Euros for the cheese manufacturers of Emilia-Romagna. The initiative was promoted by SNDMAE [3], the union of Italian diplomats, as well as by the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium [4].

SNDMAE’s President Enrico De Agostini told the Italian press that the project is intended “as a sign of solidarity, and as a demonstration of the fact that the international market can have a crucial role in helping Italy overcome the crisis.”

The images of the fallen Parmigiano wheels have circulated on all media outlets in the world: “It’s time to diffuse images that tell the world that Emilia is getting back on its feet,” De Agostini added.

An interesting image will be the one of the wheels being delivered to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that will be received by the Director of the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium Riccardo Deserti. Deserti will symbolically cut a wheel that has fallen during the earthquake without breaking.

Along with the 70 Italian Diplomatic Missions abroad, 15 nations participated in the fundraising initiative through their Embassies in Rome. Those are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

The motto of the “Parmigiano-Reggiano Diplomatico” project will also circulate internationally in the thank-you notes by the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium that will accompany the cheese. “The longest lasting flavor is the one of solidarity,” the motto goes.