The production in the Caseificio Mambelli originates and is still intertwined with ancient farmer traditions of cheese making. 
Our mission is to make artisanal cheese with procedures that are inspired by ancient techniques,while always complying with health and hygiene regulation and constantly looking for modern technological solutions. 
Mambelli cheese is produced without any preservatives and treatments that, tough extending product shelf-life, would compromise their genuineness. 
We furthermore attach much importance to packaging and distribution techniques with a meticulously organized cold chain.

OUR SPECIALITY PRODUCTS

Ghiottella - Ricotta di Romagna, speciality product of the Caseificio Mambelli, was made by Nonna Elsa based on ancient methods and she sold it for the first time in a small local area that became gradually bigger. Made with milk from selected cattle, Ghiottella Mambelli was first made with water from Fonti della Fratta hot springs in the Tuscan-Romagnolo Appenines, which is rich in mineral salts. The high salt concentration gives the Ghiottella a full taste and makes it particularly precious in our diets. 
The use of thermal spring water makes it possible to avoid using salts obtained from laboratory-made mixtures, which - albeit not noxious - cannot be considered as natural ingredients. 
The ricotta emerging from boiling milk is manually collected with strainers and drained in a cane colender (fuscella) to eliminate whey. After at least 24 hours in the cold room the Ghiottella is packed in different formats and distributed. 
The remaining whey on the package bottom and the rough appearance, typical of Ghiottella, are the evidence for the traditional methods used for production. The traditional method obliges us to keep a 10 days consumption deadline because we still make ricotta as Nonna Elsa did.

Squacquerone represents another flagship product of the Caseificio Mambelli and it is made with whole fresh milk, which is then pasteurized and heated up to 40°. Milk is then enriched with live probiotic cultures, salt and natural calf rennet. 
Coagulation takes place after about 15-20 minutes. After cutting the curd into lumps with cutters, the curd is let stand to drain in order to eliminate whey and reach the ideal acidity level thanks to the action of live probiotic cultures (no less than one million per gram, according to production standards). 
Then the mass is placed into special moulds and left in the cold room until the desired pH is reached. During the first stage, moulds are continuously turned over, then just from time to time until the right texture is obtained and cheeses are wrapped in paper and let ripe in the cold room for about 4-5 days. 
The milk used for Squacquerone production comes from cattle raised in the typical area (i.e. the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini and Bologna) based on the specification aimed at obtaining the DOP designation (protected designation of origin) in the future.

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The socalled Fratta hot springs flow out from the Rio Salso, at a 3 km distance from Bertinoro. 
They include 7 water springs with a high mineral salts concentration, from bromo-iodine water to magnesium, iron and sulphureous waters. The sodium-chlorine and magnesium thermal springs have important therapeutic effects against gastro-enteric disease, urinary system problems, diabethes, obesity and gout. 
Furthermore, bromo-iodine waters turned out to be extremely effective in the treatment of respiratory diseases. 
Mud-baths and thermal water reactivate the main physiological body functions. 
According to history, thermal springs were already known and used by Romans. A discovery made in 1927 made it possible to find a well, all covered with curved bricks on the upper part and pebble stones in the lower part, that was probably used at that time. There are no documents certifying the use of the Fratta thermal springs during the Middle Ages, but at the beginning of the XIX century the hot springs were used again, thanks to chemist and pharmacist Lucio Fusignani and to Dottor Carlo Rodi from Meldola, who published their analysis in the Almanacco del Rubicone in 1812. 
These special and healthy waters are used as an ingredient to make the Ricotta di Romagna Mambelli - Ghiottella. 
It is easy to imagine how they do not only confer a unique taste to our ricotta, but also they free their mineral salts into the ricotta Mambelli. 

We hereby report - just for information - some scientific figures indicating the mineral salt average content of the thermal water. 
The sample was taken directly from the springs and it corresponds to mineral bromo-iodine water from the wells "Ascensione", "Ottani", "Croppi" and "Perseveranza". 

PARAMETER	RESULT	M.U.
Air temperature	10.0	°C
Water temperature	10.0	°C
pH at 20°C	7.15
Calcium Ca++	3077.50	mg/l
Magnesium Mg++	1672.05	mg