🧀 Piątnica

Piątnica is the Regional Dairy Cooperative in Piątnica (Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Mleczarska w Piątnicy), a Polish cooperative from the village of Piątnica on the Narew river near Łomża, in Podlaskie. The brand takes its name from the village.

According to the cooperative's history, the first dairy worked in nearby Drozdowo; after the war it moved to Łomża, where it made butter and cheese, and later the cooperative built a new plant in Piątnica. It then merged with the dairy cooperative in Ostrołęka, which now runs as its second plant.

Piątnica specialises in fresh cheeses. In 1992 it was the first in Poland to launch cottage cheese, sold as Serek Wiejski: grains of curd in sweet cream; a lactose-free version followed in 2017. Other ranges are twaróg, the Polish curd cheese, in several fat levels, including minced twaróg for cheesecake; mascarpone made to a traditional Italian recipe; cream cheese spreads and slices; and homogenised cheese desserts. Besides cheese the cooperative makes milk, sour cream, butter, yoghurt and skyr.

The cooperative buys milk from local farmers in the Narew valley and the Kurpie area. Piątnica cheeses are eaten at breakfast with bread, vegetables or fruit, and used for syrniki, pierogi, tiramisu and sauces.

The cooperative is listed under Polish cheeses and fresh cheeses as one of the main Polish makers of fresh cow's milk cheese.