Pietro Granato — Cellito Winery

Pietro Granato, employee at the “Cellito” cured meat factory

“My name is Pietro Granato. I live in Caselle in Pittari, I’m 42 years old, and I’ve been working at the cured meat factory for about ten years — a company founded nearly twenty years ago and owned by Gianni Cammarano, who decided to return to the area after working in Milan.

This is a small business: there are four of us employees in total, and every day we strive through our work to create a high-quality product.

At the company, I handle a little bit of everything; specifically, I oversee the processing, the butchering of the pigs, and the stuffing of the casings.

On Mondays, we generally slaughter the pigs. On Tuesdays, however, we cut up the meat and decide which parts will become sausage, soppressata, prosciuttella, or capicollo. The next day, we stuff the casings, using only sea salt and other spices such as sweet paprika, wild fennel, and pepper. What sets our product apart — aside from the absence of preservatives, which is essential — is the slow curing process. Some products, like sausage, must hang for 40 days; others, such as culatelli, are cured for as long as 13–14 months.

The quality of the raw materials is essential. A pig that has lived well and been raised properly is the foundation for making a good product.

Here we work with large pigs, weighing around 150–160 kg, and our primary market is the Cilento region.

I started working at the farm in 2012, seizing this opportunity after gaining experience in the meat processing industry. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had a passion for raising livestock — it’s no coincidence that even now I continue to raise a small herd of cattle, which I manage despite the sacrifices involved. But passion doesn’t require sacrifice; it’s something that comes naturally.

In the past, I even tried moving away: I spent a few months in Milan, where my brother lives; he runs his own business, and his path is totally different from mine. But I soon realized I wasn’t happy. When I got up in the morning, I struggled to do anything at all. And while the work I do here may be much harder than what I did there, it’s what you do and where you live that shapes you. Living away from my homeland was difficult for me. And besides income, the main reason for my return was my passion. My passions have made me a part of this land.

Objectively speaking, right now, the region is losing its population: in our towns, we’re seeing a net outflow, aside from the few births. Young people are leaving; and I realize that for someone who has pursued a college education, returning here after living in Rome or Milan is by no means easy.

When I hear the words “hero,” “resilience,” and “resistance,” I don’t feel they apply to me, because what I do, I do regardless of adversity. It’s a natural path.”