The Gourmet Cheese You Can Buy In Bulk At Costco

In an effort to continue its trend of being more affordable than regular grocery stores, Costco's deals on gourmet cheese are nothing to sneeze at, especially for Parmigiano Reggiano. But while some stores opt to crack open fresh wheels and sell them piecemeal, Costco takes a different tactic.

At $950 a wheel for Costco's Parmigiano Reggiano, it may not seem like you're saving too much money. However, each wheel is 72 pounds, bringing the total cost to $13.19 a pound. Compare this to Amazon, which offers an 80-pound wheel for $1,400 or $17.50 a pound, and the savings start to become quite clear. It's fair to assume that not too many home cooks purchase this monstrous wheel, but the same can't be said of restaurants that may rely on brick-and-mortar retailers to replenish their inventory. Given that only five regions of Italy produce this cheese, it can be quite hard to come by, so purchasing it when you can, as cheaply as possible, is crucial to maintaining a well-stocked restaurant.

When factoring in the price per pound, it's vital to keep in mind that parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano are not the same thing. Parmigiano Reggiano has a series of strict controls and laws producers must adhere to, creating its signature flavor, whereas parmesan may cover everything from finely crafted American cheese to the powder you buy in plastic containers. Costco's Parmigiano Reggiano, imported from Italy, follows these rules to the letter, offering a great deal on a rare product.

For a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano to earn its stamp of approval from the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, the voluntary body tasked with reviewing the quality of each wheel, it must adhere to several simple rules. First, the dairy used to produce each wheel must come from one of the 3,000 farms in five specific Italian regions. Second, the cheese must age for at least one year. Finally, each wheel may only use milk, salt, and calf rennet for ingredients.

Each wheel from Costco ages for 24 months and the retailer inspects the identifying marks, stamps, and brands to ensure it's in compliance with Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano standards. However, the consortium inspects and certifies these wheels at 12 months. If you find one that has parallel lines around its exterior or the words "Export" or "Premium" stamped into it, that means it's considered a first-grade wheel inspected at 24 months.

Costco's wheels come from Zanetti, a major cheese manufacturer with a history stretching back over a century. It uses two of its 10 warehouses for seasoning Parmigiano Reggiano, both located in the Reggio Emilia province — and together, the warehouses can hold 235,000 wheels at once. Given the company's sheer size, it's no wonder that it's the number one exporter of Italian cheeses!