The first Piedmontese in North America arrived in the fall of 1979 - through an importation made from Italy by the PBL Co-operative of Saskatchewan, Canada. Many attempts had been made prior to this time to import the breed, both by the PBL Co-op and other cattlemen, but there had been a reluctance by the Italian Association to sell fullblood breeding stock - as well as significant difficulty due to health protocols. There were 5 animals in total that arrived in Canada in the first importation: 1 bull named "Brindisi", and 4 females "Banana", "Biba", "Bisca" and "Binda".
The next year, another importation from Italy arrived in Canada - with 5 more bulls: "Captain", "Champ", "Corallo", "Camino" and "Domingo". An import directly into the USA from Italy in the early 1980s saw the addition of 3 more sire lines: "Instinto", "Imbuto" and "Iose" as well as two more females: "India" and "Gazza". From this genetic base, the breed was launched. The Canadian Piedmontese Association (CPA) was formed in 1983 and the Piedmontese Association of the United States (PAUS) was formed in 1984. By the 1990's, import of genetic material (semen and embryos) had dramatically improved - and there is now a wealth of bloodlines to select from.
On Sept. 8, 2000 the North American Piedmontese Association (NAPA) was formed to serve ALL of the North American breeders... and today has become the largest and most active registry for the breed on the continent.