Overlooking the square of Valmorel, the Social and Turnary Dairy, founded on December 22, 1939, still represents a meeting point between dairy production and community life.
Built with local stones and expanded over time while respecting the original architecture, the Dairy combines the concepts of "social" and "turnary": the 18 members, of which 5 are active, contribute milk and collaborate with the cheesemaker on a rotational basis. The cheese produced remains the property of the person who prepared it that day, an ancient method that enhances tradition and social bonds.
The traditional processing uses mountain milk produced in local farms, simple tools, and skilled hands, resulting in cheeses recognized among the Traditional Agri-food Products of Veneto. This helps to keep local farms alive.
Among the treasures of the Dairy, on the upper floor Al Vejò, are preserved the Milk Processing Register from 1941 and the Statute of the Cooperative Society, which even includes the name of King Vittorio Emanuele III.
Today, the Dairy maintains a cultural and social role, hosting initiatives such as the "Open Dairies" event promoted by the Valbelluna Mountain Union and food education workshops, enhancing cooperatives and local realities.
It collaborates with historic companies and new entities such as the Pascolando Agricultural Cooperative of Malga Van, and has signed agreements with similar structures in Campolessi (Udine) and Peio (Trento) to share good practices and ensure an ethical and sustainable production model.
Products can be purchased directly from the members' companies. Only in summer, from June to October, the Dairy manages a sales point in the square in a wooden cabin, open on Sundays, with products supplied by the members.
Visits by appointment only: email. sergioventurin6@gmail.com tel. 335 7291783 / 349 2308773
Where milk transforms like in the old days
The Turnary Dairy of Valmorel is a magical place that manages to preserve the ancient dairy traditions of Belluno untouched.
This small establishment is the last active turnary dairy in the province of Belluno: a gem of history to preserve and protect! It is located right in the Piazza of Valmorel and is managed by the Pascolando Cooperative in collaboration with the Valmorel Neighborhood Committee.
The dairy, still operational today, opens for organized visits: helping to rediscover the value of small local productions.
Here, cheese is still made as it once was, according to a collective and artisanal method unique in its kind!
Don’t miss the chance to discover this place… that tells the story of authentic mountains and values the bond between territory, work, and community.
A few more details, which are always useful
The Dairy was founded in 1939, in an Italy that was unknowingly facing difficult years and in a complex historical context. Yet, here in Valmorel, there was hope, and the inhabitants decided to join forces to create a cooperative based on sharing and mutual help.
The Turnary Dairy of Valmorel is an exemplary case of all these collective projects that small associations manage to develop and sustain together…
Here, cheese follows tradition: without pasteurization, raw milk, with simple equipment and the work of skilled hands.
But above all, it is a social system: every member of the dairy daily contributes their milk and—by rotation—collaborates in the processing of products.
Today, the cooperative has only 20 members, of which 8 are still active in collecting milk in the area. Despite the small number, the quality of the milk is recognized and renowned... to the extent that they have been included in the list of traditional products by the Veneto Region. Thanks to this, the farms have remained and evolved into professional realities capable of passionately carrying on this ancestral method. Today, they are the heart of the Valmorel economy.
The structure of the turnary dairy has remained faithful to the spirit of its origins and has managed to adapt to the modernity of new machinery. Currently, in addition to the transformation of milk and the sale of products, the Turnary Dairy is a center that promotes activities related to rural culture and the environmental enhancement of the area. A true symbolic place.
The solidarity that characterizes this place is concrete and simple, just like the people who inhabit Valmorel. And it is the perfect starting point for your visit in the entire natural setting of Valmorel.
