WHAT WE DO
We make Italian style cured meats (in the US known a charcuterie, in Italy known as Salumi), using the best farming practice to raise the pigs, the best manufacturing practice learned from old world norcini (traditional salumi makers from Italy), and using the most precise curing equipment (Pagani curing cabinets) to bring you the best craft cured meats that Vermont and Italy can give you.
We have just started production so stay tuned as we work on our website.
We have just started production so stay tuned as we work on our website.
WHO WE ARE
Alessandra Rellini: Meat Processing Manager and co_owner. Alessandra is in charge of running our meat facility. Ale went back to Italy to learn how m=to make salame and learned from old world norcini (butchers specialized in the making of cured meats such as salame). She also worked with butchers that trained using modern technology. Ale developed the HACCP (the USDA safety plan) to make our product and made sure that our process would address both safety and quality. Ale is responsible for training all the butchers and assistants that work at our facility.
Katie Arms: Senior Butcher. Katie defies the traditional image of the beefy, round male bucher. This petite woman can break down a carcass and skilfully and accurately select the meat for salame and prepare you a salame link like no other person that has yet worked for us. WHen we first hired her we were wondering if she could handle the lifting of the carcasses to hang them from the rail but... that was not a concern, by the time any of the muscle heavy butchers had managed to bring the carcass from the shipping bin to the hanging rail in the cooler, she had reached into the bin, broken down the carcass in 3 manageable pieces and chirpily hang the smaller cuts without a sweat. Katie and an extraordinary respect for the animals where the meat comes from and is committed to be part of a food network that is invested in the preservation of our natural resources
Stefano Pinna: Equipment and Purchasing director plus salame tying affecionado (and agronomist). Stefano makes sure everything works when it needs to work the way it is supposed to work. Given the number of high quality sophisticated mechanical tools and equipment we have at the facility, this is not an easy task. Stefano also oversees the schedule for the harvesting of the meat. In his free time, Stefano loves to use old Italian techniques to tie salame. Let me specify something, all of us come together to tie salame (once every 2 weeks) because it is a very time consuming technique. For the rest of us, this is a good time to hang out, focus on some hand techniques while listening to music and checking in, but for Stefano this is truly a time of reconnecting to his land, his family and his culture. He LOVES tying salame.
Bobby Brenna, Farm Manager. Bobby is in charge of making sure all the pigs are healthy, happy and are having only one bad day in their lives. He takes animal welfare to a different level. Knows by name most pigs (mind you that we have over 160 pigs and Bobby manages to name at least 70 or 80 of them and recognizes them by personality, the way they look and his relationship with them). For a while we were wondering why it was taking him so long to feed the pigs ... then we realized he does NOT feed the pigs, he VISITS with them :) and we love it! He makes sure he spends few minutes playing with Maddalena (a sow that has not yet figured out she is 600 Lbs and loves to run and playing around), he spends extra time feeding a group of pigs because he hides food for Gringo (a runt) to make sure the other pigs do not steal his food. He checks on Stinky (another pig) who has been kind of lethargic over the past two days. And yes, sometimes he just spends time riding on top of Gustavo (our 900lb boar) because... who would not want to do that? On his free time Bobby joins us at the processing facility to cut meat or to tie salame.
Other people worth mentioning that help us are Gaby Hall, our wool and sheep artist who comes to tie salame and helps bedding the pigs on cold winter nights,, and Caitlin Bonavida, our ex-farm assistant that, although no longer working at the farm with us, has spent much time caring for the pigs and even helped at the salumeria.
We are a small team but we get things done well and with love!
Katie Arms: Senior Butcher. Katie defies the traditional image of the beefy, round male bucher. This petite woman can break down a carcass and skilfully and accurately select the meat for salame and prepare you a salame link like no other person that has yet worked for us. WHen we first hired her we were wondering if she could handle the lifting of the carcasses to hang them from the rail but... that was not a concern, by the time any of the muscle heavy butchers had managed to bring the carcass from the shipping bin to the hanging rail in the cooler, she had reached into the bin, broken down the carcass in 3 manageable pieces and chirpily hang the smaller cuts without a sweat. Katie and an extraordinary respect for the animals where the meat comes from and is committed to be part of a food network that is invested in the preservation of our natural resources
Stefano Pinna: Equipment and Purchasing director plus salame tying affecionado (and agronomist). Stefano makes sure everything works when it needs to work the way it is supposed to work. Given the number of high quality sophisticated mechanical tools and equipment we have at the facility, this is not an easy task. Stefano also oversees the schedule for the harvesting of the meat. In his free time, Stefano loves to use old Italian techniques to tie salame. Let me specify something, all of us come together to tie salame (once every 2 weeks) because it is a very time consuming technique. For the rest of us, this is a good time to hang out, focus on some hand techniques while listening to music and checking in, but for Stefano this is truly a time of reconnecting to his land, his family and his culture. He LOVES tying salame.
Bobby Brenna, Farm Manager. Bobby is in charge of making sure all the pigs are healthy, happy and are having only one bad day in their lives. He takes animal welfare to a different level. Knows by name most pigs (mind you that we have over 160 pigs and Bobby manages to name at least 70 or 80 of them and recognizes them by personality, the way they look and his relationship with them). For a while we were wondering why it was taking him so long to feed the pigs ... then we realized he does NOT feed the pigs, he VISITS with them :) and we love it! He makes sure he spends few minutes playing with Maddalena (a sow that has not yet figured out she is 600 Lbs and loves to run and playing around), he spends extra time feeding a group of pigs because he hides food for Gringo (a runt) to make sure the other pigs do not steal his food. He checks on Stinky (another pig) who has been kind of lethargic over the past two days. And yes, sometimes he just spends time riding on top of Gustavo (our 900lb boar) because... who would not want to do that? On his free time Bobby joins us at the processing facility to cut meat or to tie salame.
Other people worth mentioning that help us are Gaby Hall, our wool and sheep artist who comes to tie salame and helps bedding the pigs on cold winter nights,, and Caitlin Bonavida, our ex-farm assistant that, although no longer working at the farm with us, has spent much time caring for the pigs and even helped at the salumeria.
We are a small team but we get things done well and with love!
