Charcuterie News, July 2021
In this edition of Charcuterie News, we interview John and Andrew Bertocchi, the proud owners of Bertocchi Smallgoods, nestled in the leafy suburb of Thomastown, half an hour north of Melbourne’s CBD.
From humble beginnings in 1948, John, and Andrew’s father Modesto bordered a ship bound for Australia from Italy with one suitcase and a vision to create a successful new life. His dedication, passion, and astute business acumen fueled Modesto’s dream, leading to the opening of Bertocchi Smallgoods in 1972.
His desire and skill as smallgoods maker paved the way for the businesses success and ensured that Bertocchi Smallgoods was a staple business to the Thomastown community and would grow to become a household name.
The business is led by three generations of family heritage and is built on solid foundations of tradition and authenticity. John and Andrew took over 19 years ago when their father passed away.
They have endeavored to continue to build upon Modesto’s legacy and provide the highest-quality smallgoods products using authentic Italian methods.
Bertocchi’s wealth of processing skill and experience have ensured that the business continues to grow and flourish. Products are made with high quality local produce and traditional techniques to create an output that is known and loved by many loyal customers.
“For a commercially scaled smallgoods manufacturer, we are the largest 100% Australian owned and operated smallgoods producer. We really take pride in our in creating high quality products to the Australian community.”
Bertocchi’s success is evident through the array of awards they have won over the years. These include 18 medals (four gold, nine silver and five bronze) at the 2018 Royal Agricultural Society’s Fine Food Show Awards in Sydney; the 2017 Champion Manufacturer Award at the Australian Food Awards; and the Australian Porkmark’s Best Nationally Available Bacon and Ham twice over the past five years.
“We attribute our success to our willingness to innovate and focus on product quality. Our investment in local manufacturing and ensuring our business is Australian owned and run is also a factor in our success.”
The business has taken the next step in its journey to modernise and grow through its investment of a new processing facility in Melton, in Melbourne’s west. The world class facility will give Bertocchi the capacity to meet the growing demand in sliced meats and value-added products.
“The facility will launch us into other food categories by providing the facilities to expand product range, specifically in smallgoods and antipasto. We also anticipate a growth in staff by 180 per year to fulfil production demands!”
As well as opening a new processing facility, Bertocchi’s Thomastown facility has undergone massive upgrades both in production and administration. It has also continued to modernise through the introduction of a new laboratory and research facility for their team of food scientists to continue to create high quality products.
John and Andrew have recently introduced The Bertocchi Food Group, an innovative and collaborative enterprise to diversify the business. It is also an initiative to broaden Bertocchi’s reach into the food market and expand their customer base.
“Our customer base is typically household shoppers, charcuterie lovers and entertainers. We want to continue to expand this to all Australians!”
While much has changed over the businesses long and illustrious history, customers remain at the center of all they do.
“Through the successful transition from a family run business to a corporation overseen by a CEO, Peter Paolino, our goal has remained the same ‘to simply be the best’ for our customer base by carefully crafting the highest quality products possible!”
Throughout the challenges of navigating a business through COVID-19 and managing business transitions over the past 19 years, John and Andrew have never lost sight of their goals or lost their passion for the trade. Their motto remains the same: “To be….simply the best.”
Visit their website: bertocchi.com.au/
