Opificio
Know-how that
cannot be easily learned
Opificio, meaning a workshop or factory, is an old word, rarely used today, but one that has become associated over time with the notion of creativity. With a similar sound to “salumificio”, it summed up the soul of our project and stood for the perfect union: the rediscovery of history, imagining new ways of reviving a centuries-old art, without betraying it.
The essence of the butcher and the charcuterie maker’s craft with their tools and their expert hands live on at Opificio 1899 Verona. Their work changed people and the world in a revolutionary way.
1899
The art of the late 19th century
Italian charcuterie tradition
It was at this exact time that the world of Italian charcuterie was undergoing a revolution. Small home-based production was becoming more industrial, with charcuterie becoming available for wider consumption outside close-knit family circles.
Today the word “industrial” recalls things like steel or automation rather than the warmth of the human spirit. However, back then, working by hand was still fundamental, and industrial processing as we now know it was merely the partial simplification of manual labour by technical means.
Verona
The history of a city and of those who kept faith
Reviving the history of charcuterie-making was the clear underlying principle behind Opificio 1899. The trail leading towards quality simply had to be found again in order to appreciate its relevance to today.
The end of the 19th century saw Italy undergo a period of economic crisis that forced many from Verona to move to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and even further away, towards the new world.
Despite everything, some people remained, and it was they who established Verona’s first industrial production of charcuterie.
Opificio 1899 makes its products
in very small batches.
They are aimed at the most discerning connoisseurs, and remain faithful
to the highest expression of the art
of Verona’s charcuterie tradition.
The acts of tasting, smelling, mixing, binding, marinating and combining ingredients were not performed by a machine.
It was knowledge made up of timings, doses, weights and measures.
Today at Opificio 1899, we use these same practices and draw on the same knowledge.
Finally taste the real flavours of the past. Flavours that take you back, and expertly evoke a distant world with each and every mouthful.
Authentic flavours are our promise. Prized ingredients, extraordinarily distinctive and simple, are combined with careful artisanal techniques whose actions have survived over time.
The meats selected by Opificio 1899 are born, raised, slaughtered and processed in Italy. Our journey began by seeking out local farmers who have chosen the ancient hilly pastures and meadows of our mountains to raise their traditional Italian breeds.