The role of the butcher in our project

When we talk about a conscious project, we mean many things. We are the first to say that meat consumption should be moderate and sustainable, in other words, conscious. But we also believe that we, the producers, should be the first to be aware, not the customers.

We often talk about awareness because having a perfect understanding of the impact of our work is essential for us. Having a butcher who has also been a farmer among our partners means knowing the entire supply chain and understanding how to treat animals properly to produce good, healthy, ethical, and sustainable artisanal cured meat.

We have set an entire business on certain values — animal welfare, respect for all meat and the rhythms of nature, zero waste — which we have acquired “in the field.” Without this direct and authentic experience, our project would not have the same identity.

A different approach to pork

Massi, our butcher, is the guardian and spokesman of all our principles. His stance on free-range farming, slaughtering at no less than 14 months, using meat without waste, and traditional processing methods has nothing predefined or planned at a desk. The rule he follows in his work comes to him from experience and awareness – as a farmer first and as a butcher later – of what is right and what is wrong. 

We established, for example, that in our farms there will never be more than ten pigs per hectare of land. We could increase the number of animals, the amount of meat, the products and the profits, but we don’t do that because we have seen with our own eyes the difference between an ethical and sustainable livestock farm and one that aims only for profit. 

As we have already said in our article about Casentino, Massi inherited his grandmother’s farm, where pigs were raised in a subsistence economy. Back in the day, the pig was a primary asset for the family, so important that it was even the subject of foreclosure. 

The foundation of today’s breeding of Grigio del Casentino® comes from here. Then the farms expanded and Massi dedicated himself full time to butchering, but the basic ideas – that pigs should live free, that all cuts of meat are a precious treasure, that waste is a sin – have remained the same. 

Knowing the animals and the farmers

Unlike intensive farms, which raise thousands and thousands of animals in facilities which are often located far away, we know the farmers and have total and direct control over the animals we raise.

The piglets are born from our sows and are entrusted to farmers we know and trust, whom we have carefully selected on the basis of the land available and their personal abilities.

We have strict rules for the feeding and lifestyle of our animals. No cages, sheds or drugs (except for the mandatory vaccines). Our pigs live free in the forests of Casentino, with all the space and time to follow their natural instincts.

Everything but the oink

Only those who have raised pigs and processed their meat can feel the issue of waste so pressing. The “factories” that work at the industrial level do not truly perceive what meat really is and treat it as a consumer good equal to any other. 

There is a complete lack of responsibility and respect. We grew up with a different mentality. For Casentino families, the pig was a treasure that one could not afford to waste. 

From the need to recover as much as possible, some of the most delicious artisanal cured meats were born. Today the need is no longer there, but the desire remains to use all the meat to make healthy and genuine products, with all the taste of tradition.

No surplus production

Still related to the issue of waste is the problem of unsold products. Many large companies produce meat and cured meats in quantities that exceed actual demand to fill supermarket shelves and stimulate new demand. 

We cannot – and do not want to – work this way. We produce as much as we need, never going into surplus because that would result in an incredible waste of raw material. Our products are made for mindful and conscious consumption, not for excessive use.

Authentic processing, as it was done in the old days

Each pig has different characteristics, and in our processing we want to enhance each cut. The butcher’s ability to assess which cured meat each part should become is invaluable. The goal is not to force production, but to bring out the best from each animal. 

Our chef customers can also ask us for cuts tailored to their dishes. Having skilled hands that work the meat to bring out the best also allows us to meet the most special needs. 

Our artisanal cured meats not only have the added benefit of being handmade from superior quality, healthy and wholesome raw material, but they also have the merit of representing a territory and an alternative production system, where the values of respect, responsibility and awareness still count.