Speck Alto Adige is characterised by a particularly delicate seasoning, and is very mild to the taste,” says Christian Handl.
Christanell GmbH have been producing Speck Alto Adige in Naturns/Naturno for over 20 years. Today, Speck is one of South Tyrol’s biggest exports – not to mention one if the most rigorously-controlled quality products in the whole of Italy. The quality of Speck Alto Adige was also recognised by traditional company Handl Tyrol in the neighbouring North Tyrol when they bought over Christanell GmbH in Naturns in 1992. The change of management has not led to any significant changes in the running of Christanell GmbH. “The workers are the same, the production processes likewise,” says Josef Wechner, Managing Director of Handl Tyrol.
Today at the premises in Naturns, around 50 employees produce 12,000 pieces of pork speck every week, year-round. The main markets for the company are, as ever, Austria and Germany, but their Speck Alto Adige finds its way to every corner of Europe. And their success can always be traced back to their outstanding quality. The “Speck Alto Adige PGI” seal of quality can be used only if producers adhere to rigid criteria: Only the very best of fresh meat from monitored farms may be used, the meat and fat content and the quantity of salt must come within the correct parameters, and the curing period must be a minimum of 22 weeks, in order to give the speck its mild taste. “It is precisely this gentle curing in the fresh South Tyrol air together with the mild Mediterranean climate that makes Speck Alto Adige so distinctive,” says Josef Wechner with conviction. To date, very little has changed in their traditional production methods, and at Christanell GmbH the hams are still gently salted and seasoned by hand. Machinery is only used for quality control, and, above all, to ensure a constant temperature and humidity throughout the curing phase.