Gualbert Bhavan (India)

Project 3413 – Purchase of a cheese moulding machine

Benedictine monks of Gualbert Bhavan, Bangalore (India)

In 1987, the abbey of Saint Mary of Montenero, part of the Italian congregation of Vallombrosa, decided to found a seminary in India. A minor seminary, “Carlos Dyara”, was founded in 1988, with liturgy in the Syro-Malabar rite. Since then, there have been two other foundations: a centre for philosophical and theological studies (Gualbert Bhavan, the Congregation’s major seminary in India, founded in 2000) in Bangalore, and a secondary school in Kaduthuruthy.

Request

More than ten years ago, Father Michael travelled to the Vallombrosa region of Italy as part of his Benedictine Congregation. It was during his stay that he learned the art of cheese-making. Father Michael decided to introduce this art of making fresh cheese to India: mozzarella, pizza cheese, burrata, bocconcini, ricotta, mascarpone, caciotta and pecorino. The brothers supply their products to five-star hotels and shops in Bangalore. In less than twenty years, production has risen from 50 litres of buffalo milk to 600 litres.

The aim of this business is to offer employment opportunities to young people, to develop animal husbandry (buffalo farms) and to generate income that is used to educate poor children in the villages around the city of Bangalore, and to support the brothers’ studies.

The growing demand from the shops cannot be met due to the lack of machinery for production. Financial assistance would be needed to acquire a new mozzarella-making (moulding) machine in order to increase production.

Requested amount: 17,000 euros

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