Pre-sliced products remain the driving force behind the growth of Culatello di Zibello PDO. In the first six months of 2026, the Protection Consortium released 527,457 trays onto the market, an 8.2% increase compared to the 487,628 in the same period last year. The number of culatellos destined for this specific processing also increased, rising from 16,178 to 17,789 (+10%).
This share now represents 41.7% of the entire PDO production, compared to 36.8% in the first half of 2025. A total of 42,661 culatellos were sent for production in the first half of the year, a slight decrease (-3%) compared to the first six months of last year, which had however seen a jump of +12.8%.
These figures confirm the consolidation of a constantly expanding sector. In 2025, the Consortium released 1.06 million trays of pre-sliced culatelli, representing 41.5% of the total volume, for a total turnover of over €12 million. This growth is even more significant when looking at the decade as a whole: in 2015, production destined for pre-sliced culatelli stagnated at 4.6% of the total, with 71,000 trays produced. The Consortium brings together all 20 producers of the PDO, produced in just seven municipalities in the Bassa Parmense area.
“The first half-year data confirms our hopes: pre-sliced products continue to grow structurally and provide our consortium members with a more stable market, capable of supporting production even during the adjustment phases,” says Romeo Gualerzi, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Culatello di Zibello PDO. “This confirms a strategic choice that has transformed the face of our PDO over the past ten years, expanding the audience for Culatello di Zibello without ever sacrificing quality. This is a path we are continuing through events such as our recent appearance at Tramonto DiVino, where we showcased the connection with the territory that makes this excellent product unique.”
