Renowned family-owned Italian salumi purveyor Fratelli Beretta introduced Prosciutto di Carpegna DOP to the Los Angeles market for the first time in brand history. Following its New York launch in late 2018, Prosciutto di Carpegna is now featured on menus at prominent Los Angeles restaurants as well as available for purchase in limited quantities at Eataly Los Angeles and select Gelson’s Market locations. In the U.S. market, Fratelli Beretta offers both a whole boneless leg and a sliced version of the Prosciutto di Carpegna in a 3oz tray.
“Prosciutto di Carpegna has been enjoyed in Italy for centuries and I am so proud of our family to be able to introduce such a special tradition to Los Angeles for the very first time,” says Alberto Beretta, CEO of Fratelli Beretta. “This is some of the most exclusive prosciutto in the world and has an incredible history and tradition.”
PRODUCTION GUIDELINES
Prosciutto di Carpegna is made exclusively from Italian pigs known as “Pesante Padano,” or heavy pigs, in one of three Italian regions—Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, or Marche. The Pesante Padano must reach at least 10 months of age before butchering and must be cured for a minimum of 14 months to be certified as a Carpegna DOP product. The 20-month aging process, which uses traditional pork curing techniques that date back to the 1400s, adheres to some of the strictest production guidelines in the world.
HOW PROSCIUTTO DI CARPEGNA IS MADE
At Fratelli Beretta’s sole Prosciutto di Carpegna production facility in Italy, just 10 master butchers, or “Maestri Salumai,” hold the curing secrets for Prosciutto di Carpegna. The salumai coat the product in the famous sea salt of Cervia, a small town located on the western coast of Italy, along with a proprietary blend of lard and spices. This gives the prosciutto its signature flavor profile with aromatic notes, as well as its soft texture. Prosciutto di Carpegna is also free of preservatives and additives, giving it a clean, natural taste.
ABOUT THE CARPEGNA REGION
Carpegna is a small village located inside a territory that stretches between the Emilia Romagna, Marche, and Tuscany regions of Central Italy. Fratelli Beretta’s Carpegna production facility is located in the heart of this territory in the Montefeltro Mountains. Day after day, Fratelli Beretta’s Prosciutto di Carpegna is tended by hand as it slowly ages, using curing traditions of the area that have been proudly preserved since the Middle Ages and continue to be handed down from generation to generation.
KEY FIGURES
- Outlined below are key figures for Prosciutto di Carpegna in 2018:
- Sales volume and revenues: $21 million USD
- Production capacity per year: 150,000 pieces of Prosciutto di Carpegna DOP
- Production facility size: 200,000 square feet
- Number of Employees: 10
