It was 1899: you could feel all the euphoria of the new century in the air, a moment of change that would see the birth of a family’s history. A history that continues even up to the present day.

We were in Pescantina, among the Valpolicella hills and the banks of the river Adige where Ernesto Pavoncelli opened his first butcher’s shop at the age of 25. Beneath the porticoes of the shop, he started to prepare exquisite specialities: the fragrance of Ernesto’s soppressatas and salami managed to arouse the curiosity and delight the palates not only in the town itself, but also in the nearby city.

The seasons passed, the customers increased and Ernesto’s sons also grew up; in that craftsman’s workshop, their father taught then all the secrets and the recipes required to create those delicious cured meats.

Ernesto had such a strong desire to expand that in 1926, together with his sons, he established the first ever Pavoncelli Cured Meat Factory, one of the most ancient in Italy, to fulfil the needs of the customers and to astonish them with new products such as Milano salami, fine cooked hams and the tender mortadellas.

Technological innovation was only at its initial stages but in that period of change, Ernesto sensed its importance, without however, losing sight of what had, up until then, made him famous: the unmistakable artisanal quality and the authentic taste of his cured meats.Every processing stage was continuously studied and improved, paying painstaking attention and respect to the traditions and values that the Pavoncelli family has preserved over the years to establish, in 1995, its current factory

Today, the Pavoncelli cured meats factory is an industrial, modern and efficient organisation model: built over a surface area measuring 10,000 m2 and it rigorously follows and anticipates sector-related legislation, to guarantee the production quality required not only by the Italian market, but also by the more stringent legislation governing international markets.

The use of technology blends perfectly with the strong bond that the Pavoncelli family has with the local territory and tradition.

Some of the processes are still carried out as they were in the past, because the details are what make the difference: our specialised charcutiers bind the best Pavoncelli cured meats by hand, according to ancient techniques.

The dry-curing of salamis takes place in cells that faithfully recreate the climatic conditions of traditional foothill cellars. Even though values such as the humidity rate (of fundamental importance to obtain perfect dry-curing) are constantly and electronically monitored, it is still the experience that has been handed down over four generations – and that extra-special family touch – that decides exactly when a cured meat is ready to be tasted.

All the necessary time is devoted to our roast and steamed meats to obtain their mild, slow cooking: only in this way, the flavourings and the brine (another of our family secrets) can enhance the taste of the best meat that we accurately select and control throughout all processing stages.

Last, but not least, we devote extra-special treatment to our renowned cooked hams: we massage them carefully to make them tender and delicious.