Una storia vera
The Beginning (1962) - A dream born from the earth
A group of breeders and farmers from the Imola district came together with a simple yet ambitious idea: to work together to do things better. This led to the establishment of the Cooperativa Lavoratori Agricoli Imolesi - CLAI.
With a clear mission: to enhance Italian pork, process it with artisanal care, and bring it to the tables of those who appreciate true quality.
Growth (1980s-today) - Bigger, with the same roots
Decade after decade, CLAI has grown: new plants, new expertise, new certifications. But its heart has remained the same: cooperation between people who share values, not just shares. The bond between those who raise livestock and those who process it has become a unique integrated supply chain model in Italy: 100% Italian meat, controlled from farm to fork. This growth has taken shape in two locations that are now CLAI's production heartland: Faenza, where livestock meat becomes controlled raw material, and Sasso Morelli, where that raw material becomes cured meat.
Faenza: where the transformation begins
In Faenza, an essential part of CLAI's "We" takes shape.
Here, the cooperative processes thousands of animals every week, sourced from Italian farms, many of which belong to members who have been part of the cooperative community for generations.
It is in this facility that the CLAI model becomes tangible: a supply chain that starts from the farms, goes through the work of people, and arrives at the quality of the product. A system that connects breeders, workers, and processors, keeping alive the agreement that gave rise to the Cooperative.
The plant is authorized for organic processing and is part of the IGP circuit for the "Vitellone Bianco dell’Appennino Centrale" (White Veal of the Central Apennines). Since 2021, the "Filiera Controllata CLAI" (CLAI Controlled Supply Chain) project has also been developed here, allowing every batch to be traced from farm to final product, strengthening transparency and trust.
Sasso Morelli: where the supply chain is completed
In Sasso Morelli, at the historic headquarters of the Cooperative, another expression of this supply chain takes shape: the CLAI cured meat factory. Here, meat from the members' farms becomes a specialty that tells a long tradition of knowledge, gestures, and passion.
Products like Salsiccia Stagionata Passita (Aged Dried Sausage) or Guanciale (Cured Pork Jowl) are born from the connection with the territory and the continuity of knowledge passed down through generations.
Alongside tradition lives research. Salame Imola 1962, preservative-free, or the new Fragranze di Salame (Salami Fragrances) represent an example of how innovation can reinterpret the past while preserving the value of the raw material.
Today's group - CLAI, Zuarina, Faggiola: one flavor, three stories
In recent years, CLAI has completed its evolution into a food company by acquiring two Italian excellent companies that share the same values and supply chain vision.
- Zuarina, the historic ham factory in Langhirano (Parma), custodian of Prosciutto Crudo di Parma PDO with its unmistakable taste. An artisanal excellence born over a century ago, now part of the CLAI family with the same dedication to sweetness, patient aging, and uncompromising quality.
- Faggiola, the dairy cooperative in Palazzuolo sul Senio (Florence), which has been producing artisanal Tuscan mountain cheeses for generations. A small company in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines where milk becomes cheese according to ancient methods and the territory can be tasted in every bite.
The taste of 64 years has deep roots
Every CLAI product tells a part of our story, because it is made with original passion and care, the result of a cooperative rooted in the territory, which has been sharing its challenges and satisfactions for 64 years.
Such as the constant commitment to the territory and people: from the reforestation project in Sasso Morelli - 62,000 m2 of greenery dedicated to the community (a number that recalls the year of foundation) to energy sustainability through two biogas cogeneration plants and photovoltaic panels, from free cancer screenings for members/employees in collaboration with Fondazione ANT to support for many associations, such as Insieme a Te, Banco Alimentare, FAI.
And also with the sponsorship of local sports teams and the creation of activities that encourage young people to get into sports with the CLAI & Friends project.
Thank you. For 64 years, and forever.
We built this company on a pact between those who raise animals, those who work, and those who process. Three generations later, that pact is still alive. Indeed, it has been enriched with new values: environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and a connection to the community.
We are grateful to those who chose us yesterday, today, and to those who will choose us tomorrow. CLAI is a true story - made of people, territory, and taste. And true stories never stop being told.
President Giovanni Bettini and the entire CLAI family