Gourmet News

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO form ‘The Land of Balsamico’

Published July 1, 2024

The Balsamic Vinegar of Modena & Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Consortia officially bring “The Land of Balsamico,” a collaborative project that unites their shared goals and mission, to the United States. The new venture aims to protect and promote both Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO concurrently. In addition, the two Consortia aspire to explore new market opportunities and continue to establish the image of the beloved Modenese duo at home and abroad.

A masterful interpreter of Italian cuisine, Chef Missy Robbins will serve as the initiative’s chef ambassador. Robbins, who owns and helms celebrated Williamsburg restaurants Lilia and MISI, along with pasta and Italian specialty product line and boutique MISIPASTA, is a natural choice for the role. Her love of Italian culture began when she embarked on an excursion to Northern Italy, where she worked in several kitchens, from family-run rustic trattorias to Michelin-rated restaurants, and grew intimate with the country’s products and cooking. Robbins quickly developed a long-lasting admiration for the simplicity, regional inspiration and innate focus on quality ingredients – including Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

“I am honored to be the chef ambassador for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO for 2024. I have devoted the last 20 + years of my career to studying the craft of Italian cooking, but more importantly to the protected products that make the cuisine so special and unique. I still remember my first visit to an acetaia, where these products are crafted. You can not understand the ingredient until you see it in full production and learn the history behind it.”

Enrico Corsini, the president of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Consortium also serves as president of the newly formed entity; Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Consortium President Mariangela Grosoli is vice president.

“This debut project will focus on markets abroad in particular, where these products are greatly copied and imitated,” notes Corsini. “Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is a protagonist of Made in Italy excellence on the world scene, and the United States is one of the countries with the highest export rate for this product; it thus becomes strategic for us to participate in initiatives like this one to increase education and protection around Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.”

Says Grosoli, “The US represents nearly 26 percent of our market, which demonstrates that its consumers appreciate and seek out authentic, Italian products like Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. This is an opportunity to endorse authenticity, to dialogue with others in the industry, and to convey the complexity and preciosity of the world of Balsamico, both from a historical point of view that sees centuries-old traditions at the heart of both PGI and PDO products, as well as an economic one with a market – specifically that of PGI – that produces around 100 million liters of product annually for a global turnover that reaches nearly a billion euros, with an export that exceeds the 90 percent.”

Additional goals of The Land of Balsamico include improving product placement through research and market studies; exploring potential export markets; and increasing marketing opportunities on a national, community, and international level. The Land of Balsamico also hopes to develop initiatives that reinforce economic competitiveness, promoting the online distribution of both Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO.

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Graeter’s Fruit Fest Celebrates National Ice Cream Month

Published July 1, 2024

Graeter’s Ice Cream, a family-owned craft French Pot ice cream company, will celebrate National Ice Cream Month again this year with a calendar of events befitting 154 years of i ce cream expertise. The company begins the summer ice cream season with the continuation of Fruit Fest, a seasonal take on fruity ice cream flavors offered through its Bonus Flavor program in scoop shops. Graeter’s Fruit Fest invites ice cream lovers to cool off with flavor and a fun fruity lineup.

To celebrate National Ice Cream Day on July 21, Graeter’s Ice Cream will roll out a week-long promotion, starting July 15 through July 21, inviting Sweet Rewards Loyalty Program Members to celebrate in all scoop shops, with a $1.54 cone. Additionally, Graeter’s Ice Cream will once again hold its annual Coloring Contest with automatic eligibility for a free scoop upon entry. To learn more about these family-favorite events, visit your local scoop shop or graeters.com.

Graeter’s plans to further celebrate National Ice Cream Month with Graeter’s Fruit Fest, the continued unveiling of its Summer Bonus Flavors, including a selection of fruity ice creams, available for a limited time in scoop shops. These flavors are also available for nationwide delivery to friends and family at graeters.com. Each flavor, revealed every three weeks throughout the summer, offers ice cream fans the allure of innovative and refreshing tastes, all crafted with the quality and care that Graeter’s is known for. These flavors join Graeter’s traditional seasonal favorites, including Peach in July and Key Lime Pie in August.

“There’s no better time to celebrate America’s favorite sweet treat than during the sweltering summer months,” shares Chip Graeter, fourth-generation owner of Graeter’s Ice Cream. “We love celebrating National Ice Cream Month each year and look forward to welcoming our guests in our stores for our seasonal flavors and special offers.”

Stay tuned for fun National Ice Cream Month happenings with Graeter’s Ice Cream by following along on social media @Graeters and visiting a local Scoop Shop.

Graeter’s Ice Cream, celebrating its 154th anniversary, produces craft ice cream using French Pots, a small batch, artisanal method of production dating back over a century. The company has won the hearts of ice cream enthusiasts across the country as well as the respect of the nation’s most influential foodies. Tasted among 13 national brands, Graeter’s was voted the #1 Vanilla Ice Cream by MyRecipes.com in 2019. Famous for their signature chocolate chips, the Cincinnati-based company remains family-owned and operated and continues to handcraft ice cream 2 1⁄2 gallons at a time. Today, Graeter’s currently has 56 retail stores and ships over 300,000 pints annually for online mail-order sales and corporate gifting. Graeter’s can also be found in more than 3,000 grocery stores in 46 states. Visit www.graeters.com for more information.

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Parmigiana Reggiano USA to Promote Famed Italian Cheese

Published June 24, 2024

Building on last year’s announcement at Summer Fancy Foods that the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium was focusing on promoting the distinctive qualities of its cheese rather than contrast the differences between the artisan cheese created 1,000 years ago and what is called “parmesan,” the consortium announced this week that it has formed an American corporation to further its mission.

Parmigiano Regiggiano USA has launched along with its own website, the consortium announced at media dinner hosted by its president, Nicola Bertinelli. The evening featured a menu with each course including Parmigiano Reggiano and created by brand ambassador Chef Michele Casadei Massari of Lucciola on New York City’s Upper West Side.

Bertinelli said up until last year, members of the consortium brought two suitcases to the Fancy Food Show – one filled with clothes and the other empty. Members would fill their empty suitcase with hundreds of samples of cheese proclaiming to be Parmigiano Reggiano, with half of them found to be incorrectly using the storied cheese name.

But the empty suitcases have been staying home, thanks to the consortium’s new strategy and the creation of its U.S. company.

“We want to build relationships with the distributors and point of sales,” Bertinelli said through an interpreter. “Because we believe (the mislabeled cheeses) were done in a good faith error. Nobody tried to trick anyone.”

The United States is an important market for Parmigiano Reggiano, Bertinelli said. With 47 percent of Parmigiano Reggiano exported from Italy, the United States accounts for 25 percent of the exports. Bertinelli said the consortium, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary, is aiming to have 10 percent of sales growth in the United States sales this year.

There is some talk about imposing tariffs on Parmigiano Reggiano, he said, but this kind of protectionism won’t help the U.S. dairy industry. Unlike the example of tariffs imposed on Chinese electric vehicles that protect the U.S. auto industry, Parmigiano Reggiano accounts for only 5 percent of the market.

“Nobody should be afraid of a country importing 5 percent of a market,” Bertinelli said.

Parmigiano Regiggiano USA also will be working with the U.S. dairy industry to promote the idea of protected designation of origin, which the consortium believes will help to introduce Europeans to distinctly American cheeses from such areas as Vermont and Massachusetts. It also will strive to even the playing field in imports, he said. While imports from Europe to the United States draw fees from $1.50 to $2, imports from the United States to Europe cost $4.

Parmigiano Regiggiano USA is in the process of formulating ways to work with distributors and point of sales to achieve its goals.

“We hope this sparks curiosity,” Bertinelli said.

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