2' min read
2' min read
It was one of the first Sicilian products to obtain PGI, the Typical Geographical Indication.But now the salami of Sant'Angelo di Brolo, from the municipality in the province of Messina where it is produced, faces an uphill road. A challenge now taken up by Gaetano Caputo, who has been elected president of the Protection Consortium for the next three years. The Sant'Angelo salami production companies are now down to three from the ten that existed until a few years ago, and one of the priorities is certainly that of defending and increasing that slice of the market that had been conquered. A post, that of president of the Consortium, which had already been held a few years ago by Salvatore Caputo, Gaetano's father, who founded the family business in 1950. Salumi Caputo, now run by Gaetano together with his sister Michela, was for years focused on the production of Salame Sant'Angelo Igp but in recent years has expanded its production.
The figures for the 2023 budget tell us that Salumi Caputo has increased both in terms of volume for all its products (+30%) and in terms of turnover with almost 4 million (+40% compared to 2022, when turnover stood at 2.8 million). And in this context, a leading role is played by Sant'Angelo salami: in 2023, more than 100,000 kilos were produced compared to 70,000 the year before.
'In 2022 our average weekly production was 10,000 kilograms, while the following year it rose to 15,000 kilograms,' explains Gaetano. The growth also concerns the number of references: the 70 in 2022 increased to 90 in 2023. Ours are 100% Italian meats, slow-matured and processed with the traditional norcina technique of knife-cutting, they are of controlled and certified quality throughout all production phases'.
Sales in 2023 grew thanks to the brand's entry into six large-scale retail chains in Sicily and a customer base that grew from around 300 in 2022 to around 400 in 2023. "Today we are present in more than 10 Italian large-scale retail chains,' Gaetano adds. And we are also growing abroad thanks to exports, which represent an important share: in 2022 our foreign turnover represented about 5% of the total, while in 2023 it reached 10%. We have entered new countries such as Greece and are present in Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, England, and Switzerland'.
The growth is also reflected in the number of employees, which today reaches 20 with the addition of five people in 2023. "The development of Salumi Caputo has accelerated since 2021, the year in which we invested in the purchase of a production facility of more than 3,000 square metres, one thousand of which are dedicated to the seasoning of cured meats, which has allowed us to pursue ambitious goals," Gaetano continues. "Our goal, within five years, is to reach a turnover of 8-10 million euros. For this reason, we have invested not only in internal figures for this project, but also in marketing. We are also interested in boosting exports. In order to realise our goal, we have employed a sales figure to search for new customers and new geographic areas'.
