Meat+Poultry - January 2024 - 27

process products for the snacking category is definitely
on their radar.
From conception to startup, the project took about
two-and-a-half years. Zuffo remembers, to the day,
when ground was broken in May 2021 and then when
the first machine was switched on.
" We ran the first salami here in December of '22, "
Zuffo said. " This was a good integration between our
technical team, Stellar and the work done with the
city regulators to get approvals. I'm proud of the job
they did. "
He pointed out that planning for the project and
investments in technology needed to be underway well
over a year prior to breaking ground.
" We bought a lot of equipment even before the start
of construction, " Zuffo said, knowing that it wasn't
uncommon to take delivery of a machine at least 26
weeks after confirming the order.
Lead times of six to eight months for some of
the key technology used in the plant were normal
during the project and the delivery timeframes
haven't improved much since then, according to Zuffo
and Machetta.
PROVEN PARTNERSHIPS
When deciding on suppliers, Machetta said many
companies submitted bids and multiple factors were
considered when making the final decisions.
" It's cost, it's delivery and how much background
and experience they have in dealing with these types
of products; and flexibility plays a key role, " Machetta
said. " This equipment has got to be flexible, " he said,
" because there are so many different variations of the
finished products. "
ITALIAN ROOTS
Principe offers products in three tiers, including:
Principe's Imports from Italy, Principe Domestic that
are premium products produced in the United States
like those made in Italy; and a line of Swift products,
including salami and pepperoni produced in an
American style. Zuffo said the three-tiered strategy is
unique in the meat industry.
" The US market is really an extension of our
business [in Italy] because all the supply is our pork
meat, which is sourced from different regions in
northern Italy for imported products, " he said.
Products produced at the new plant are designed
to look, smell and taste like the premium, dry-cured
and aged specialty meats that originated in Italy, using
Old-World traditional techniques blended with modern
processing technology. The Columbia operation is
designed to produce coppa (seasoned pork from the
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Tumbling
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Dry-Salting
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www.meatpoultry.com | 01.24 | MEAT+POULTRY
27
http://www.iinc.org/cvm http://www.FTIINC.ORG/CVM
Meat+Poultry - January 2024

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