The Consorzio Tutela Speck Alto Adige, the consortium of producers of popular Italian cured and smoked ham, has launched a media campaign to educate American retailers, distributors, restaurateurs and consumers about the product.
A new English-language website, http://www.speck.it/en/speck-alto-adige.html, has videos, photos, continental and Italian recipes, and information on how Speck Alto Adige is produced and served in a variety of dishes.
The consortium will also use electronic newsletters, Twitter and special events such as store tastings to spread the word that Speck Alto Adige is a low-fat ham, created from natural ingredients, with a mildly spicy and lightly smoked unique flavor. It’s made with “a little salt, a little smoke, and a lot of fresh air,” according to the consortium.
The consortium said it is a good time to promote Speck Alto Adige IGP because American shoppers report Italian specialty foods are one of their two most popular international foods, according to a recent National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) survey.
A lean meat originating from pigs raised on quality-controlled farms, the hams are cured and lightly smoked in the open air following centuries-old traditions. Speck Alto Adige owes its special character to the singular geographical location of Italy’s northernmost province of Alto Adige, bordering Austria and Switzerland. The unique combination of the climate, Alpine geography and heritage of Mediterranean seasoning and Northern European smoking ensures Speck Alto Adige can’t be produced anywhere else in the world.
Buyers can be assured they are buying a genuine cured and smoked Italian ham by looking for the dark green label with the words “Speck Alto Adige IGP” (Protected Geographic Indication – PGI). IGP or PGI is a European Union designation guaranteeing that a product originated in a specific region and was created in compliance with time-honored, established production methods. The consortium and an independent control institution monitor every step of production, from the pork thigh to the packaged cured and smoked ham, for authenticity and quality.
