The White Truffle Wizards Of Alba

Paolo Montanaro, a native of the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, grew up only a short distance from Alba, the epicenter of white truffles.

As CEO of TartufLanghe, the company founded by his parents, Giuseppe (Beppe) and Domenica, some fifty years ago, this scholar-entrepreneur has reimagined the possibilities of white truffles.

White Truffles: The Ultimate Expression of Terroir

White truffles are considered an unmatched culinary indulgence due to their rarity, captivating aroma and high cost. These edible fungi cannot be farmed; they grow wild in a symbiotic relationship with certain trees, such as oak, hazelnut, poplar and linden. Also, their brief growing season is limited and subject to varying weather conditions.

The addition of white truffles to simple dishes like pasta, risotto, or eggs elevates their preparation to an epicurean delicacy.

Although the white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) grows in other regions of Italy (including Tuscany, Le Marche, Umbria and Emilia Romagna) and elsewhere in Europe, the hills around Alba are considered the ideal habitat for the most intense and complex white truffles.

That’s because the forests of Piedmont are blessed with a microclimate and soil composition conducive to the growth of the most aromatic truffles. In 2014, the hills of the Langhe area, along with Roero and Monferrato, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their unique relationship between landscape and culture.

Additionally, since 1929, Alba has hosted the International White Truffle Fair, which has evolved into a masterful marketing gambit. Considered one of the most prestigious gourmet events in Europe, the event draws some 600,000 restaurateurs, chefs, and consumers each year, and sets exacting standards for authenticity and excellence.

To bear its name, a “Tartufo Bianco d’Alba” must be sourced by truffle hunters in the surrounding Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato forests. Like snowflakes, no two truffles are alike, each with a unique size, scent, texture and flavor profile.

With the fair still ongoing, the size of the largest white truffle has not yet been officially determined this year. But in November 2025, one weighing over 1kg (2.2 pounds) sold for $120,000 at the auction in Alba.

The Humble Birth of TartufLanghe

Long before Nebbiolo grapes were cultivated to produce coveted DOC red wines like Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera, Piedmont was one of Italy’s poorer regions. Like many of his peers, Beppe Montanaro left home as a young man and took to the sea as a cook on a cruise ship to pay his bills.

When Beppe returned to Piedmont, he served as the personal chef for the Ferrero family, which created Nutella, and became known as “the pride of Alba” for its impact on the local economy.

Beppe finally acquired both the means and culinary chops to open “Da Beppe” in 1968, a restaurant in the historic center of Alba that the Michelin Guide would later anoint as a destination for truffle and mushroom enthusiasts.

In 1975, after setting up a laboratory in the back of their kitchen, Beppe and Domenica founded TartufLanghe in the tiny nearby hamlet of Piobesi d’Alba.

Their son Paolo grew up in the restaurant kitchen and in the Langhe woods, where truffles ran through his blood. But it was his training and research at the Università Cattolina in Cremona and Piacenza that enabled him to envision a year-round business enterprise built on the “white gold” of Alba.

Paolo Montanaro: Master of Innovation

TartufLanghe has grown exponentially since its early days, now shipping fresh white truffles and other company products across Italy and to 63 countries in Europe, the USA, South America, Australia, and the Middle and Far East. But the enterprise has always been a family affair rooted in the territory.

TartufLanghe’s pristine artisanal production plant resembles a sprawling scientific research laboratory. Different areas represent different types of food experimentation and production, with specialized equipment expressly designed for innovating new forms, styles and uses of truffles.

Beppe and Domenica’s traditional values of gastronomic excellence, integrity, and perseverance laid the foundation for the business. However, Paolo’s creativity, product innovation, and moxie propelled the company to its next level of success, redefining the reach of Alba white truffles.

Because truffles were most often paired with tagliatelle, Beppe pioneered a freeze-drying technology that allows truffle natural aromas and flavors to be embedded in boxed, dried pasta. Copied by competitors, this innovation enabled this gourmet delicacy to be enjoyed year-round, beyond the season when fresh truffles were available. Called Tartuffisima, the product was named Best New Product of 1992 by the Specialty Food Association trade show in New York.

Paolo created Truffle Perlage, another novel TartufLanghe product. This caviar look-alike, made by extracting truffle juice and transforming it into spheres, was recognized as the Best Innovative Product in the World at the Grand Prix Tendances et Innovation in Paris. He then also introduced the NOh20 process, a proprietary dehydration method applied to truffles and other premium ingredients.

Paolo’s marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Veronica, added new marketing, linguistic and people skills to the endeavor.

Still, the tradition of brokering the sale of white truffles between hunters and buyers remains the company’s core business, with sourcing overseen by Paolo’s sister, Stefania. She has long-established relationships with local hunters and even knocks on doors to identify their prize finds and negotiate purchases for the company.

Her impressive background includes culinary school, a stage with Chef Carlo Cracco, and kitchen experience gained in Spain, Piedmont, and Liguria. After those hands-on experiences, she returned to the business, assuming responsibility for production alongside her father before running it independently with her team.

The TarufLanghe Commitment To Sustainability, Food Safety & Excellence

Paolo’s love of the land and university training as a researcher also underlie the company’s emphasis on sustainability. TartufLanghe oversees the cultivation of about 75 acres of truffle grounds with meticulous forest and soil management techniques to protect the ecosystem. In addition, its energy supply which produces 10,000 kg of processed truffles, comes entirely from renewable sources.

The talented team, including chocolatiers, food safety and other technical experts, and Michelin-starred chefs, has created more than 100 recipes ranging from snacks to gourmet condiments. These include truffle chips, hazelnuts coated with truffle juice, truffle breadsticks, truffle and pesto spreads in tubes, white truffle risotto, summer truffles (in olive oil), and truffle butters.

The company also produces more than 40 million Trifulot (its popular line of gift-worthy, individually wrapped gourmet sweet mini truffles) each year. These Tartufi Dolci d’Alba combine local Piedmontese ingredients (such as I.G.P. hazelnuts) with the region’s confectionery traditions.

These, like other TartufLanghe products, are known for their eco-sensitive but attractive packaging. Travelers may recognize them as popular turndown gifts at luxury hotels or on cruise ships.

A Unique Mecca for Truffle Lovers

The breathtaking scenery of Alba and the surrounding Langhe Hills, along with the region’s abundance of exceptional food and wine, is a timeless lure for visitors. However, this is especially true during white truffle season, which runs from mid-September through early January.

However, visits to this gastronomic mecca offer opportunities to taste fresh truffles, including White, Black Winter, Autumn and Summer truffles, in their terroir throughout the year, including seasons when there are fewer tourists and rates for accommodations are lower.

Those eager to learn more about truffle cultivation and production can arrange immersive truffle hunts in the Roero, tastings, cooking classes and guided plant tours at the TartufLanghe headquarters. Guests can also arrange memorable lunches or dinners showcasing regional cuisine and wines at Restaurant Pico Bistrot, just 5 minutes away. At this contemporary eatery with scenic views of the hills, each dish can be enhanced with fresh truffles.

Blending tradition, technology, and culinary science with creativity and determination, Paolo and his family have virtually transformed the world of white truffles. And Beppe still comes to work every day to oversee the family enterprise.

These wizards of “white gold” have taken a rare and precious food rooted in nature and made its captivating natural scents available year-round in new formulations that can be enjoyed at gourmet restaurants and home kitchens.

N.B. For a taste of Piedmont at home, TartufLanghe is available at many specialty food stores and operates a U.S.-based online store that ships directly from its American warehouse.