The co-operative Il Forteto was founded in 1977 from a eterigenic group of young students, operators and teachers. With a complete change of life, they search to built up a living together made by real equality, giving the possibility to the ability of every person to come up and to come true.

The co-operative made up a deserted farm of ca. 500 ha situated in the county areas of Vicchio and Dicomano in the Mugello, land of origin from the Medici-family, at one time wood and wild reserve of the Florence-town.

The members of the co-operative, from the beginning, have worked on the trasformation of sheep and cow milk.
During the first years the worked milk was limited, later, with the growing of business and proprofessionalism, the production of cheese became the principal work of the co-operative.

Together with the cheese production exist other agricultural activities, like cultivation of orchard (apple) and the production of hay and grain for the breeding of cattle and horses.

The breeds are tipical tuscany. For the cattle the chianina , 240 animals between cows and calfs, famous for the steack “alla fiorentina”; For the horse the maremmano, with production of live animals used for horse trekking or horse shows.