Co-Packing Solutions - April 2009 - (Page 22) he diversity of Italy’s 20 regions is ref lected in its food from the earthy truff les of Umbria to the salty, seasoaked squid and tiny sardines found in the waters off the Sicilian coast. Today, thanks to an abundance of Italian food products available in the States, it is possible to experience these regional culinary treasures without leaving town. Italian food aficionados can find their favorite salumi (the collective term in Italian for cured meats), cheeses, pesto, olives and pasta, at their local delis, independent groceries and large supermarket chains. Prisco’s Fine Foods in Aurora, Ill. is one of those stores. Owner Robert Prisco sells a variety of ethnic foods, but Italian tops the list of customer favorites. He sells homemade items like marinated artichokes and mushrooms, veal and beef meatballs with tomato sauce, and sweet and hot Italian sausages. Prisco reports that sales from his sausages alone account for nearly two percent of his total sales, especially at Christmastime and in the summer. “Italian food is my heritage. Our store is known for its great Italian food at affordable prices,” says Prisco. His grandparents Mary and Tony Prisco, both Italian immigrants, opened shop on the ground 22 • Co - PaCkI ng S o luTIo n S ©istoc kphot o.com T floor of their home in 1926, catering to a population homesick for familiar foods. Today Prisco’s is a full-blown grocery store with a deli area and salad bar. Lunch and dinner specials include the Big Tony (an Italian sandwich stuffed with pepperoni and salami on home-baked Italian torpedo rolls), ricotta stuffed shells, and Caprese salad made with tomato, basil and mozzarella. The owner makes its own pizza dough, plus pasta dishes like lasagna, and suggests that deli owners help customers understand the many ways Italian food can be prepared. And Prisco practices what he preaches: He offers customers cooking advice and even shares his own recipes—how to fry Italian peppers, prepare veal parmigiana or spinach pasta with gorgonzola, for example. “We want to provide consumer education and teach our customers how to make delicious Italian food,” he says. Prisco’s also cultivates a loyal customer base by selling cherished Italian favorites like tiramisu, cannolis, biscotti and spumoni. The coffee and gelato shop he operates next door is a place where patrons can sip strong espresso or a frothy cappuccino while indulging in a homemade gelati or sorbetti. As Robert says, “You can get everything you need for an Italian lunch or dinner.” The Italian Food Phenomenon The recently updated “Italian Foods in the U.S.” survey from Packaged Facts reports that sales for Italian food reached $11.9 billion in 2006, growing 3% over the 2005 level of $11.5 billion. Sales are projected to top nearly $14 billion by 2011, the survey says. Add the fact that Zagat’s 2008 Restaurant Survey ranked Italian cuisine as America’s favorite ethnic fare, and you have a recipe for success for delis that merchandise and market Italian products. The most successful delis sell a range of regional Italian products, but sales of Italian meats (Genoa salami, mortadella, proscuitto cotto and sopressata) and cheeses (provolone, pecorino, and parmesan) are the mainstay of the Italian food market in the U.S. Supermarkets like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, for example, offer a bounty of Italian selections. Ready-to-bake artesian pizzas topped with mozzarella, sauapril 2009 /adlife marke ting
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.