Abstract
Research report written in the context of the Interreg Alpine Space European Project 'AlpFoodway' Bitto is an Alpine fat cheese whose history is linked to transhumance, the seasonal droving of cattle between the lowlands in winter and the high mountain pastures (alps) in summer carried out by caricatori d’alpe (those who would ‘load’ alps with cattle from various owners, taking care of milking cows and producing cheese). Both the cheese and its place of birth, the Bitto Valleys, owe their name to the Bitto creek, a small tributary to the Adda river that rosses the municipalities of Gerola and Albaredo in Valtelline (Sondrio province, Lombardy). In 1995, the cheese was recognised with a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO). The PDO product specification allowed for more industrial production methods and an extension of the production area. This resulted in tensions from producers from the Bitto Valleys who felt their more heritage-consistent production methods were not sufficiently valorised by the PDO consortium. These ‘Bitto Rebels’ tried to use the name ‘Historical Bitto’ but were legally prevented from doing so since the product specifically did not allow to differentiate products within the PDO based on area of origin or production methods. The ongoing conflict – the ‘Bitto war’ – lasted until 2016, when the Rebels, with the support of Slow Food, declared the death of the Historical Bitto and renamed it Storico Ribelle (Historical Rebel), founding a new consortium. Thanks to their highly mediatised secession, Rebels were able to raise awareness about their production methods resulting in higher consumer willingness-to-pay. The case of Bitto is remarkable as it highlights high geographical indications – which are intellectual property rights intended to favour heritage product producers, can generate inequalities and exclusions. It also shows how mediatised conflict and alternative commercialisation networks can successfully valorise heritage products from peripheral areas and contribute to their safeguarding.