CHEESE & DAIRY
Premium league of their own Valerio’s exclusively manufacture artisan products, with new production facilities promising expansion and automation. PERSONAL TOUCH It seems the Italian food & drink sector is unique, in terms of the sheer volume of operators that have family connections – with businesses often handed down over the years. And with a reputation for dairy perfection and savoury excellence, Valerio’s is no exception. “We started in the 1960s and are now in our second generation, making a variety of authentic Italian dairy and meat products, with a diverse portfolio from mozzarella and burrata to pepperoni,” said Maurizio Valerio, manager at Valerio’s Limited. And 2025 is looking particularly vibrant, with investment planned into production facilities and packing lines for its award-winning burrata, Fior di Latte and ricotta chesses. “This will see more automation of product lines, with new packaging designs. There is also further expansion into a dedicated production area for UK-manufactured burrata and stracciatella, while installing modern curing rooms to improve our awardwinning pepperoni.” 46 P&P_226_Mar25_p46-47_Valerio_JB AB.indd 46
While ingredient quality is of course essential, the sustainability message is also a priority. “We have solar panels on all buildings, manufacture all our cheeses and meats using British raw materials, deliver with our own fleet of vehicles and package them in an environmentally friendly way,” continued Maurizio. “We also make our products authentically by using tried-and-trusted techniques and processes, even down to Italian cheesemakers and machinery.” VARIED OFFERING With the reputation of Italian food and production methods incredibly strong in the UK, there seems to be real opportunity for agile businesses. “In the world of pizza, there has been considerable growth and expansion, with quality offerings from sourdough to Neapolitan, to Romana to pinsa. We have seen openings focusing predominantly on quality pizza rather than traditional, broad Italian menus. Also, the range on offer from UK retailers has never been so varied, with so many
household Italian brands on major supermarket shelves now. “From our perspective, we focus on our strengths first and foremost. We are continuously looking for ways to improve production, be it through automation or NPD. We try to be as efficient as possible and pass on any savings to customers so that our products remain of a premium quality, yet competitively priced.” However, in such a volatile and challenging marketplace, this isn’t always possible. “We try to drive efficiencies into our production processes, working with ingredient, packaging and energy suppliers to minimise and mitigate the pressures on cost. This notwithstanding, there are times when increases are unavoidable and have to be passed on in a fair manner. We genuinely empathise with the problems that the industry is facing and want to support our partners and contribute to their success.” There also needs to be an understanding around the changing demands of the consumer and retaining www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk 20/02/2025 11:29