Senses still matter

While automation is a vital part of Daniele’s operation, Stefano insists on walking through the aging and fermenting rooms each day. He receives a steady flow of reports that monitor daily shrink rates, but he says there’s no substitute for the assurance he gets from seeing and smelling the progression of products for himself. Additionally, because the new operation just started up this past December, there is peace of mind for him in confirming that all the systems are working as they should. “I want to come in here to see that they are doing OK, especially because we have so much product. It’s important to go through all the checks.”

Stefano admits being beyond a stickler when it comes to quality. “I’m absolutely obsessive about it,” he says. “That’s why I’m checking it every single day; because the product has to be a certain way.”

Stefano points out that the plant reflects an attribute that Daniele has become known and respected for. “The nice thing about a facility like this and a company like ours, is that we’ve always had a very flexible mentality.” In today’s market that means adapting to consumers’ changing eating habits, which now trend toward convenience, snacking and quality and selling slices of prosciutto versus a few decades ago when the company’s focus was on selling 15-lb. pieces or bone-in products.

With so much time invested in each ounce of ham and salame, traditional dry-cured charcuterie isn’t sold at bargain prices, Stefano says.

“We are the most expensive product on the market and there’s a reason for that.”