A long family saga that begins at the turn of the 1900s. A great host: Ernesto Pavoncelli. A territory that never changes: Pescantina, the Adige, the historic Valpolicella. A story spanning almost 120 years made of meat, spices, molds, and so much, so much passion. The Pavoncelli Salumeria is, rightly so, one of the oldest in Italy, certainly in Veneto.
Everything starts from the foresight and tenacity of a visionary man from the late 19th century. One of those who does not accept the logics of the time and is not intimidated by the challenges of life. In short, a big young man with Latin creativity and Austro-Hungarian determination. Yes, because the lands of Pescantina were the last Italian frontier on the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even today, the ancient stone forts can be seen in the distance, perched on the heights along the Adige Valley, where it begins. Pescantina is an ancient village, a port on the Adige, the first stop for goods coming from the Northern Empire. It has been so since the days of the Romans, who left numerous traces of a flourishing commercial life here.
Ernesto arrived as a young man in these lands, coming from another town on the Adige, east of Verona: San Giovanni Lupatoto. His father was a pegorar, a shepherd, and in these lands, there were many meadows and clearings, as well as abundant water, ideal for maintaining a flock. At the beginning, Ernesto worked as an apprentice in some local butcher shops, and from there, his passion for meat processing began. After a period of home production of cured meats, in particular the traditional Venetian sopressa, he confirmed, thanks to the first available document still in the family archive, a notarial deed for the purchase of a house to be used as a butcher shop by Ernesto "by profession a butcher". It was 1899, the year the Salumeria was founded. The same year that has always been imprinted in the company logo.
The first meats came directly from the hills of the historic Valpolicella, known at that time for pig farming, particularly from villages like Cavalo, San Rocco di Marano, Mazzano, and Torbe, or from the ancient stone contrade of Lessinia. Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo was renowned for the breeding of pigs and cattle. At that time, the cattle were mostly white bulls, which today mostly occupy the entire Apennines and the Piedmont Alps. These were the true Italian breeds: Piemontese, Romagnola, Chianina, Podolica. Ernesto was quick-witted and built a slaughterhouse and salumeria that were heavily influenced by the paths of his time, especially from a technical and industrial point of view. In fact, the industrial revolution was affecting the entire western world. Human ingenuity began to produce machinery that facilitated and contained effort, allowing the production of unimaginable quantities of products until then. Everything that could be purchased, Ernesto included in his production line.
He was a man who tended to create teams and, for the first time in Verona, brought together a group of local butchers, making his slaughterhouse a unique point of slaughter for all. It could be considered a prototype that anticipated the Municipal Slaughterhouses and would later be adopted in many small centers and large capitals. Strength, courage, and enthusiasm in every enterprise are the lifeblood that allows the start of a successful journey. Every Sunday morning he left very early and, with the cart pulled by horses, delivered orders of fresh meat and broth bones to all the noble families of Valpolicella, later extending to the polished squares of Bella Verona. He had to arrive early in the morning, before Sunday Mass, because the kitchens had to have time to prepare the broth and, consequently, the boiled meat which, even today, represents one of the typical dishes of the Veronese territory.
It was not an easy life: the meats had to be kept cold and at that time ice came from the central warehouses of Verona or from the last ice houses built by the ancient Cimbrian peoples of the Veronese mountains. Until the 1920s, he managed both the slaughterhouse and the salumeria. Then, with the arrival of his five children, the true phase of commercial development began. He passed unscathed through the Great War of '15-'18, while World War II saw him involved, to his detriment, as a salumeria requisitioned by the fascist regime as official supplier of German troops. Yes, because the Germans had in Pescantina the largest distribution center for all food and drinks for the army stationed in Italy. It was the last frontier, beyond the Adige, beyond which the Germans later retreated. A dark period, marked by displaced people seeking refuge in the Upper Valpolicella or in Lessinia. The Pavoncelli also left everything during the German retreat. That remained a troubled time, during which the townspeople practiced "sgancio," a term used to describe the thefts and looting that occurred within the large German food storage warehouses, factories, and houses that had been left empty. The Pavoncelli suffered the loss of everything that could be taken away: meats, cured meats, machinery parts, even the curtains in the house. It was hunger and disorder!
Once the war was over, all the warehouses were rebuilt and the two brothers Angelo and Guido, with the help of their sister Luigina, started from scratch. They were hard years due to continuous controversies over the commercial and production strategies to be adopted. Tensions became so severe that they led to a very serious internal break. A saga on which a real successful fiction could be written. Meanwhile, the salumeria had begun to conquer the first markets beyond Verona: Rome, Naples, Trieste, Milan, Switzerland, and then the very strong stronghold of Trentino Alto Adige, still a strong point for the Pavoncelli. Guido decided to separate from his brothers and take over the new course of the salumeria.
It is 1961, the beginning of a new spring of successes that led the salumeria into the European market. Guido became one of the founders, along with other great interpreters of Veronese agri-food production (Bauli, Vicenzi, and Veronesi), of the ancient Eurocarni fair at the Gran Guardia in Piazza Bra, anticipating the more famous Vinitaly. From the 1970s, Pavoncelli became a Veronese icon of cured meats for the entire nation. They were the first to experiment with formats of cured meats and, with their Sopressa Picnic, invented a new way of enjoying days out. The first rest areas were born along the new highways, at that time called Pavesi, which later became Autogrill, where that small salami became one of the protagonists. The Pavoncelli had achieved great success with their smoked and cured products, also finding great satisfaction in producing products from the broadest Italian tradition.
Today, leading the salumeria is the last scion of the penultimate generation of the family: Marco Pavoncelli. A forty-year-old looking to the future with great enthusiasm, just like great-grandfather Ernesto.
“My activity in the company, alongside my father Fabio and my uncle Sergio, accompanied by siblings Elisa and Diego and cousins Silvia, Guido, and Andrea, is a centuries-old testimony to a strong family journey. A philosophy that has not undergone upheavals over time and has always wanted to maintain a vital umbilical connection with the great idea of my great-grandfather.”
Is there more tradition or temptation in the market today?
“You cannot live your time without being fully part of it, just as time cannot disown history. My goal, every morning as I turn my gaze to a new workday, is to revive the strength and courage of Ernesto and to go beyond, to build a solid and impactful future. For us, it is essential to consolidate and expand our markets, with the aim of bringing you the history, culture, and Italian tradition of cured meats, respecting our origins. We are receiving flattering feedback from Asian countries because they recognize this authenticity of the product. We want everyone, from a slice of our cured meat, to rediscover our land, Italy, and the scent of a people. We have never stopped embracing our identity as a family business. We will never do that! It is the only guarantee of quality regarding the immaterial sphere, which we believe is substantial.”
Are there challenges you are facing for the future?
“Certainly, otherwise we would not all be children of Ernesto! (Laughs) Very soon, a beautiful surprise will give us the opportunity to offer a substantial upgrade to our company. But even here it is a paradox, if you want. It will be a determining step for our future that, with an exciting plunge, will pass through our long and precious past. A strong leap forward for our cured meats with a stronger focus on the sacredness of nature and its purest expression. Today I can’t say anything more, but in a few weeks, we will have a small preview.”
Marco's eyes betray his emotion for this new adventure in the history of the Pavoncelli family. His strength lies in the family, in the awareness that his is a boat that has been rowing straight toward a dream for almost 120 years. The energy and strength of Ernesto “the butcher” are still at home here!
Bernardo Pasquali
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