Grana Padano: Italy's biggest cheese by volume

Grana Padano DOP reached 6,053,690¹ wheels in 2025, up 7.4% on 2024 and about 236,180¹ metric tons, the largest volume of any Italian cheese with a protected designation.

6,053,690 wheels, from 134 dairies

The 2025 total came from 134¹ dairies and 121¹ producing companies, supplied by 3,376¹ farms that deliver their milk. Output grew 7.4% on 2024.

That's nearly one and a half times the 4.19³ million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano in the same year. In weight the gap is about 236,180¹ metric tons against about 168,000³.

Both sets of figures come from the two consortia. Each is a primary source with an interest in its own numbers, and neither has an independent count published beside it.

Almost half goes abroad

About 2.76² million wheels were exported in 2025, roughly 45% of production.

Press reports sometimes put the share above 50%. They divide exports by branded cheese rather than by total output, which is how two honest numbers end up disagreeing. If you see a figure without its denominator, you can't tell which one it is.

One of 174 food DOPs

Italy has 330⁴ food products with an EU geographical indication in 2026, 174⁴ DOP and 156⁴ IGP, and among the cheeses Grana Padano has the largest volume.

The claim rests on production figures. Parmigiano Reggiano's consumer turnover was €3.96⁵ billion in 2025; nobody has published Grana Padano's in a primary source we could read, so whether it also leads in money is still an open question, not a ranking.

What the numbers mean at the counter

Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are two denominations with two consortia and two production zones. The name printed on the rind or on the pre-cut label is what's protected, not the texture or the color of the cheese.

The boundaries of the Grana Padano zone aren't in our sources, so this page doesn't list its provinces. For the other cheese, the five provinces are on Parmigiano Reggiano.

Scale is the other difference. Grana Padano draws on 3,376¹ farms and 134¹ dairies, and its output grew 7.4% in 2025 against 2.7% for Parmigiano Reggiano.

For the banking side of these wheels, see wheels of cheese used as collateral, and for the labels in general, DOP and IGP.

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