Chiara Onida, the queen of goat cheese

Maria Chiara Onida lived in Milan and worked as a math teacher. However, she and her husband, Aldo Galbiati , felt a growing desire to leave the city and live in nature. Between 1988 and 1989, the couple found a farmhouse with land in Ruino , in the Oltrepò Pavese area, and decided to move there.

At first, they didn't plan on creating a large farm. They began by cultivating and working the land, and almost by chance, Betty , an Alpine Chamois goat, arrived. She gave birth to six kids, and what began as a small experiment gradually became a full-fledged farm.

From that moment on, Maria Chiara discovered the world of livestock farming and dairy processing . She and Aldo chose to directly oversee virtually the entire process: they produced hay, raised the animals, milked the cows, processed the milk, and sold the cheeses. Over the years, they built first the stable, then the dairy, and finally the farmhouse.

And here comes perhaps the most interesting part of the story: Maria Chiara didn't just raise goats, she became a true artisan cheesemaker . Boscasso developed a very wide range of goat cheeses, including fresh, aged, and blue. Among its specialties is a green-mold goat's blue cheese, considered one of the first products of its kind made in Italy.

The philosophy is based on a very short, family-run supply chain : the milk is produced on the farm and processed directly in the small dairy. The Alpine Chamois goats are raised with attention to their well-being and, when conditions permit, have access to pasture.

Over the years, Il Boscasso has also become an agritourism farm. Maria Chiara's idea is particularly beautiful: to seamlessly connect the product with its origins. Visitors can learn about the goats, tour the farm, taste the cheeses, and speak directly with the producers.

And there's a detail that speaks volumes about her character. When production began to gain recognition, Maria Chiara preferred to maintain an artisanal dimension , even forgoing opportunities in large-scale distribution because she feared growth would compromise the quality and control over her work.

Today the business is carried on by Maria Chiara with her children Nicola and Lea , maintaining what was the original choice: not simply to produce cheese, but to build a way of life linked to the land, animals and manual work.

In other words, the story of Maria Chiara Onida is that of a person who left an urban life and an intellectual profession to learn a completely different trade , transforming a first goat arrived almost by chance into a farm recognized for its cheeses.

Today, Boscasso is a full-service farm, raising goats and producing goat cheese and yogurt.