The Imola Cooperative-which also includes the Zuarina (which just a few days ago became a "Historic Brand" thanks to recognition by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy) and Faggiola brands-will be presenting itself in Parma with its gastronomic excellence and exceptional chefs who will help enliven the visitors' experience at the stand
Marketing Director Gianfranco Delfini: "Our social base of breeder members and workers is a unique participatory management in Europe: an added value reinforced by our commitment to 100% Italian meat, expertise of our operators and control of the supply chain. This is how we value people, promote growth and offer products that tell of quality, sustainability and passion."
Imola, May 2024 - It is now time for the new edition of Cibus in Parma, and CLAI is once again ready to play its part. At the 22nd International Agribusiness Fair, to be held in the Emilia capital from May 7 to 10, the Imola-based food company, active in the field of meat, salami, ham and dairy products from Romagna-Tuscany, will be present to confirm to the market its quality proposal together with Zuarina (which has just won the prestigious status of "Historic Brand" awarded by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy) and Faggiola.
"Visitors to our stand will have the opportunity to understand how one of the main added values we can count on is the unique composition of our social base ," explains Gianfranco Delfini, CLAI Marketing Director, "which has been made up, since its inception in 1962, of livestock breeder and worker members included in various roles in the company. A participatory management, unique in the panorama of European agriculture, which makes it possible to enhance the products of Italian animal husbandry thanks to artisanal processing carried out by butchers and charcuterie experts in the transformation and production of meat, salami and hams from the best traditions of our country."
A cooperative supply chain that has set growth, the valorization of people and sustainable development, from the fields to the table, as central objectives of its actions. "We are returning to Cibus, " Delfini continues, "to reconfirm to the market, once again, our value proposition, which we will tell through the quality of our products, made with 100% Italian meat, and the sharing of our values. Visitors will find at our stand many tasteful ideas and a warm welcome enriched by the presence of exceptional chefs such as Max Mascia and Max Mariola."
So to provide excitement and lots of flavor during Cibus, there will also be these two great friends of CLAI, who are highly regarded in the industry. The first is chef of the two-Michelin-starred Ristorante San Domenico in Imola; the second is a chef and well-known face on social and TV. Through different styles they will offer guests their gourmet interpretations of CLAI products, Zuarina and Faggiola, pleasantly combining taste and entertainment. And to make the taste experience even more complete, professionals proposed by theAssociazione Italiana Sommelier Emilia will also be present, ensuring the perfect match between food and quality wine, such as that of the Tremonti wineryin Imola.
Valuable presence will also be that of the CLAI Brand Ambassadors, operators who work inside the CLAI Butcher Shops: specialized countermen, therefore, but also boys and girls who "live" the cooperative every day, with passion and the desire to tell about their work experience, the products and the values of the cooperative they are part of. They do not recite "lessons" learned from others, but talk about people, stories and values they know closely. They therefore know how to go "beyond" the characteristics of the product, manifesting a genuine passion that leaves a mark. Some of them will be engaged in the preparation of the chopping boards tasted at the stand, others will devote themselves to the cutting of the long-cured Zuarina ham by knife.
GOOD PRODUCTS THAT DO GOOD
In Imola, however, we live with another well-rooted conviction: the goodness of each product must correspond to a more general generation of well-being for the community. "Quality, 100 percent Italian meat, safety, expertise, the utmost care in the management of the supply chain and the enhancement of the territory are fundamental elements for us ," the Marketing Director continues, "but we believe that the value of a company is also measured by the depth of the solidarity projects it manages to carry out.
This is why a number of initiatives have come into being over time. Starting with the one with Banco Alimentare, thanks to which as many as 1.5 million meals have been distributed to people in need over the past five years. CLAI also decided to join the We Save & Care project, together with other companies of excellence in their field, to promote together with Banco Alimentare the valorization and sharing of food, along with a strong focus on avoiding all forms of waste.
Another fine example is the collaboration with Insieme a te, a voluntary association in Faenza that is building a bathing establishment in Punta Marina Terme that is fully accessible to people with severe disabilities, a welcoming and caring reality on the Romagna coast that is unique in Italy.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
However, social sustainability goes hand in hand with environmental sustainability. CLAI in this sense has made an all-round commitment with the construction of a cogeneration plant, in the Faenza facility, and a trigeneration plant, which flanks the biogas plant, in the Sasso Morelli production facility. Interventions that make it possible to generate electricity and be able to have hot water while optimizing available resources and minimizing the impact on the environment.
In addition, mention should be made of the reforestation project in Sasso Morelli, which covers 62 thousand square meters above which 3,140 native plants, trees and shrubs with high environmental value were planted as part of the estate's farm near the CLAI sausage factory.
CLAI IN PARMA WITH MANY SPECIALTIES
However, it should not be forgotten that the protagonists in Parma will obviously be the products. CLAI will once again present itself with a wide selection that responds to the demands dictated by trends on the market. It starts with CLAI's typical local products such as the classic cured sausage Passita di Romagna, a thin salami produced according to the ancient recipe with the best lean meat from pigs born and raised in Italy. Then there are the salami bites Sbuccia e Mangia, convenient and practical to enjoy at any time of day, and the traditional Contadino. Also long is the list of regional products such as Ventricina, Spianata romana, Sicilianella and Soppressa that, despite the "geographic gap," CLAI manages to interpret in terms of quality thanks to the expertise of its specialists and the connection that has been developed over time with the territory of origin.
The demand for "free from," or more natural products, is met by Imola 1962, a salami without preservatives and with a very short ingredient list that enhances the high quality of 100% Italian meat from the Clai Chain. This is a product that required more than two years of research and that, although it is small in size, has a significant maturation period of at least eight weeks in dedicated cells.
Another cured meat made for this specific area, but leaving the perimeter of salami, is Guanciale. Again, this is a product without the presence of any kind of preservative and that represents very well the "spirit" of the Cooperative: in fact, it comes from tradition and its meat - from the CLAI supply chain, from pigs born and raised in Italy - is processed with few ingredients, expert craftsmanship and a slow and gentle curing process of at least twelve weeks that gives the product a unique flavor and intense aroma.
On the other hand, to meet the demands related to wellness and lightness issues, CLAI offers Bella Festa Light salami, which has 50 percent less fat than a traditional Milano salami. The special curing process makes it possible to reduce the percentage of fat, which reaches a maximum of 15 percent, while maintaining the flavor, which is completely similar to that of traditional salami.
Lots of attention also in the area of free-service products. Such as the 270-gram salami Sfizioso, for a moment of pleasure at any time of the day, and the evergreen Golosetto, a 100-gram salami that is offered in both traditional and spicy dough. Also worth mentioning is a reinterpretation of cured sausages, again traditional and spicy, up to the anticipation of the new pack of Passita, the year's novelty that will be proposed on the market soon: the renowned sweetness of Passita, therefore, in a format already skinned and ready to use. A shelf life of 60 days for a product that in the vacuum pack retains its distinctive and highly appreciated organoleptic characteristics.
ZUARINA AND FAGGIOLA PRODUCTS ALSO FEATURED
Also carving out an important space at Cibus will obviously be Zuarina, the Langhirano ham factory internationally renowned for the sweetness of its hams. A company with a history that begins way back in 1860 and has always been linked to cornerstones such as quality and the enhancement of tradition. These goals have been achieved thanks to the expertise of the Langhirano plant's operators, honed over the years and handed down from generation to generation. And it is undoubtedly this, together with time and passion, that is one of the strengths that allows the Emilia prosciuttificio emiliano to recreate every day the "flavors of the past," always achieving the highest quality and conquering a well-defined space on the market within the premium segment.
Also adding to the value of Zuarina's proposal is the certainty of relying only on 100% Italian meat from the proprietary supply chain. To which are added a pinch of salt, the artisanal touch in the processing and a slow and patient aging process that takes place in the Langhirano plant's underground cellar, the ideal place to encourage the formation of the aromas and colors that have always distinguished the brand's proposals.
Still the stars, then, in Parma too, are the 24-month and 18-month Zuarina Parma Hams, which come from carefully selected thighs of the best Po Valley pigs, then processed by the deep expertise of the operators. The rest is taken care of by the long aging process in the underground cellar of the Cascinapiano plant in Langhirano. The result is extraordinary, high quality products with a sweet and delicate taste. At the stand it will also be possible to taste Culatta e il Fiocco, a typical cured meat from western Emilia, particularly from the lower Parma area and parts of the province of Piacenza. This cured meat, which is made from the leanest part of the hind leg of the pig, in the case of Zuarina is made from 100% high quality Italian meat and has a particularly slow maturation, at least eight months. The flavor is sweet and delicate, associated with a fragrance characterized by fragrant notes.
Also confirming the enduring value of the Zuarina brand came during April 2024 the recognition of "Historic Brand," which is awarded by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy to a small number of national companies of excellence connected to the national territory and with a history of at least 50 years.
And speaking of craftsmanship and territory, one cannot help but mention the presence in Parma also of the Imola Food Company's third brand: in fact, at the stand it will also be possible to taste the dairy products of Faggiola, which, thanks in part to the renovation and expansion of the Palazzuolo sul Senio production plant carried out last year, has been able to strengthen its proposal by including new specialties in the assortment such as the "Quadalto" mountain toma cheese or the "Goccia al tartufo" caciotta. The former is a semi-hard cheese aged three months, melting on the palate and with an intense and aromatic taste that brings to mind the scents of the mountains. The second, on the other hand, is a short-ripened cheese with a fresh and delicate texture, ideal for enhancing the qualities of the truffle to the fullest and leaving a light flavor that is not too invasive on the palate.
THE MAGNIFICENT OF ROMAGNA
In Parma there will also be an opportunity to admire and taste the Magnifico di Romagna, a five-foot, 40-kilogram recurrence salami. It represents another opportunity for CLAI to support customers' activities within their stores. Exemplary in this case is the partnership with Salumeria Paciotti in Rome, which in recent months held an in-store tasting event capable of generating enormous enthusiasm, with long lines of people eager to participate. "These "tailor-made" forms of collaboration can only come about through a great desire to listen to the input coming from customers ," Delfini says, "the ability to tune in to them, and finally the expertise needed to achieve the best result.
CLAI COMMUNITY GROWS THROUGH NEW ONLINE PLATFORM
And also part of this vision of the centrality of active listening is the emergence of the new online platform CLAI in which a valuable tool such as e-commerce. "Our desire is to grow a large community by providing a meeting place, a kind of virtual plaza, in which relationships take center stage. E-commerce thus becomes an additional opportunity for contact and interaction between the company, consumers, trade customers and followers of our social channels", concludes Delfini.
