In 1837, Luigi Cattaneo wrote in the introduction to his work II caseificio o la fabbricazione dei formaggi [The dairy or the manufacture of cheese]: "Le oscure pratiche che governano la fabbricazione dei formaggi si formarono a poco a poco e da tempo immemorabile colla scorta della esperienza giornaliera e della imitazione. Tuttavia, si giunse ugualmente a dare pieno sviluppo ai fenomeni della caseificazione in modo che, applicando le dottrine chimiche, veniamo a riconoscere che i medesimi prodotti non si potrebbero altrimenti ottenere... Però quest'arte disgiunta dalla scienza rimane sempre soggetta al capriccio del caso".

[The little known practices that govern the manufacture of cheese developed gradually and have been built on daily experiences and imitation since time immemorial. Cheese-making developed extensively, nevertheless, and today chemistry has proved that these products could not have been produced in any other way... However, this art, far removed from science, is always prey to the whim of chance".]
Not until we had discovered the secrets behind the cheese-making process would we be able to control the conversion of milk into cheese.
The foundation of independent cheese-makers’ in the 19th century brought about a marked improvement in the production process and consequently in the quantity and quality of the cheese. Until then, cheese had been made in small Alpine farms or country huts for centuries.

The results could be seen during the 1830s and 1840s, when “grana” cheese production tripled over a very short space of time. Mario Romani wrote about this period: "La produzione del formaggio di grana nelle tre Province di Lodi, Pavia e Milano, ammonta a 14.000 tonnellate, di cui una metà si dirama nel Regno e l'altra si esporta... Contemporaneamente dagli stessi bestiami si producono 5.000 tonnellate di butirro, di cui una parte si esporta anche fino alle province venere". [The three provinces of Lodi, Pavia and Milan produce 14,000 tons of "grana" cheese; one half is sold within the Kingdom, the other is exported...These same animals produce 5,000 tons of butter, a part of which is exported as far afield as the Veneto].