Sometimes, reality goes beyond the dream world. First and foremost, this is worth being highlighted that 100% of the content of this article relates to a true story. In these unusual times, some institutions find ways to think not one but perhaps two meters out of the box.

So once upon a time, there was Parmigiano-Reggiano. At this stage, I guess now you are wondering about the connection between banking and this allegedly fancy cheese. The magazine Courrier International translated in September 2020 a quite original article by the Handelsblatt newspaper from Düsseldorf:

“The Deutsches Bank inaugurated on Monday a new practice in Germany: the banking counterpart in Parmesan cheese tells Handelsblatt (Düsseldorf). The bank “granted the Italian company Ambrosi a loan of 27.5 million euros and accepted in return a guarantee for 125,000 wheels of Parmesan and Grana Padano cheese. The loan should enable the head of the family business, Giuseppe Ambrosi, to “build a new fermentation cellar for the production of parmesan cheese and grana padano.” […]
“Although the parmesan loan is a German first, it has been practiced since 1953 by the regional Italian bank Credito Emiliano. It has even been the subject of a case study by the prestigious Harvard Business School entitled “Banking on Cheese”.”

So at the end of the day, what can we take away from this let say… unusual story? Possibly, you can keep in mind that going off the beaten track might bring a most-welcomed burst of innovation in existing practices. Most likely, seeing alternative ways of getting things done provides you with a new perspective on your own processes. Otherwise, I do think there may well be a risk of getting numbed without noticing by your daily routine. Reversely, nurturing your creativity and your ability to avoid thinking too much inside the box might make you more efficient in your daily missions.

Jules Striffler

Source : Courrier International (Handelsblatt, Düsseldorf – La Repubblica, Rome)
https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/insolite-la-deutsche-bank-accorde-un-pret-bancaire-garanti-en-parmesan
Courrier international (Handelsblatt, Düsseldorf). 2020. Insolite. La Deutsche Bank Accorde Un Prêt Bancaire Garanti En Parmesan. [online] Available at: <https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/insolite-la-deutsche-bank-accorde-un-pret-bancaire-garanti-en-parmesan&gt; [Accessed 12 November 2020].
https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2009/08/27/le-parmesan-c-est-bon-pour-les-prets-bancaires
Livini, E., 2009. Le Parmesan, C’Est Bon Pour Les Prêts Bancaires. [online] Courrier international (La Repubblica, Rome). Available at: <https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2009/08/27/le-parmesan-c-est-bon-pour-les-prets-bancaires&gt; [Accessed 12 November 2020].