The history of the Veroni salami factory traces back to a small grocery store in Correggio, a town in the province of Reggio-Emilia, in the heart of the Italian food valley. In 1925, the five Veroni brothers decided to expand their business, directly devoting themselves to the production of cold cuts. Within a few years, the company would become one of the most important Italian charcuteries. Today, the fourth generation of the family is spearheading a modern and technologically cutting-edge industry which, however, is standing on the firm footing of “savoir faire craftsmanship” and traditional recipes.
Craftsmanship 2.0
According to the current President, Francesco Veroni, craftsmanship is a synthesis of values and not of size. The goal has always been the same. It consists in the company offering home-made quality and simultaneously the choice and reliability of their industry as a security. In fact, the Veroni family has always invested their own resources and energy into a research geared towards qualitative excellence that is in compliance with the latest nutritional trends, thus maintaining a constant balance between tradition and industrial efficiency. The result is a range of high quality meats, with high organoleptic properties, manufactured in accordance with the most stringent modern safety and health parameters.
Certifications
Veroni has always devoted sustained efforts to ensure high profile food safety and holds multiple internationally recognised certifications. It adheres to strict voluntary standards set by the BRC (British Retail Consortium) and the IFS (International Food Standard), which take all sanitary aspects of food production into consideration. It has an EMAS environmental certification with the aim to continuously reduce the environmental impact of its plants and a Quality Management System(SGS Accredia) to offer more products in line with the expectations of its customers.
The facility sites
Today, the company has a turnover of approximately 115 million euro. It is, to the same extent, present in traditional retail channels as in the main and most important Italian and foreign retail chains. The export accounts for around 10% and is mainly represented by the extended countries of Europe, even if plans for the future aim to develop the internationalization of the company. It is divided into four subsidiaries and seven manufacturing plants, each with its own specialization:
Correggio (Reggio Emilia), the historical site and headquarters, produces mortadella and all cold cuts;
Gazzata (Reggio Emilia), produces cooked hams and roasts. This is also the distribution centre with a fully automated warehouse that can hold up to 5,000 pallets;
Langhirano, in the province of Parma. Here, boiled and Parma hams are cured;
Sala Baganza (Parma), where crest and bacon are produced;
Collecchio (Parma), where different salami varieties were introduced.
HPP treatment
Since 2014, Veroni has held SterilParma shares, a company specialized in HPP (High Pressure Processing) treatment of food products that is geared towards the American market, but not only. The HPP treatment is a method by which the packaged product is placed in a “room” and subjected to high hydrostatic pressure (6,000 bar) for a few minutes (3-5). This procedure destroys all bacteria, particularly listeria, so as to receive an entirely hygienic product, with a longer shelf life, but which retains all the organoleptic and qualitative properties.
Veroni in the USA
Moreover, Veroni opened its US headquarters in Logan Township, New Jersey, in March 2015, with the goal of offering 100% Italian cold cuts on the American market. As a matter of fact, they are produced in Italy according to traditional recipes, receive HPP treatment to ensure maximum food safety, shipped and cut on site, so as to better adapt to local needs and provide the consumer with a fresh and tasty product. A wide range, including salami for the cutting table and free service, cooked, and raw mortadella, several varieties of cold cuts under vacuum and modified atmosphere, is ready to meet the needs of the most demanding customers.