Charcuterie News, March 2021
Montecatini Speciality Smallgoods is a local household name, famous for their true Italian curing techniques and high-quality artisan products. They operate as a suburban retail store and smallgoods manufacturer in the Western Sydney suburb of Jamisontown.
Owner, Roland Melosi, is an innovative professional within the Smallgoods industry and has over 35 years’ experience.
From humble beginnings, Roland began his apprenticeship at the age of 16 at G.Melosi & Sons Pty Ltd and was fortunate enough to be trained by his father. At the tender age of 25, the day to day running of the business was handed over to Roland by his father, helping to further refine his skills and passion for the industry.
By 1980, Roland was the national president of the Smallgoods Association and was instrumental in growing membership for the industry to a point where it became a strong lobby group to State and Federal governments.
In 2009, after selling his father’s business 14 years prior, Roland and long-time friend Len Barone became business partners and opened their own company, Montecatini Speciality Smallgoods. Out of respect to his father and tradition, Roland named the business after the small Tuscan town in which his father was born.
Now with Roland’s son, Giovanni, working in the family business, three generations of Melosi men have proudly brought their passionate and dedication to many Australian tables.
“Because we are proud of our family name, we put pride and care into preparing a beautiful product that we want our customers to enjoy.”
Roland Melosi and his son Giovanni boost an impressive range of products with a distribution network expanding Australia wide. They place a large focus on their point of difference products that are innovative and unique.
They also proudly source the highest quality Australian pork and authentic fresh ingredients to create traditional artisan products.
“We are currently utilising String tying machines to increase productivity and have installed new drying rooms for extra capacity.”
Both men expressed the importance of constantly evolving with the market and keeping up to date with the trends, hinting at their plans for further expansion later this year.
“We are continuously improving our machinery and factory to help reach our goal of expanding our business to reach more customers.”
They are active in their local community and the greater Smallgoods industry with Roland being invited by the Royal Agricultural Society for the past 10 years to judge in the Smallgoods section of the Royal Easter Show. They are also members of the Penrith Leagues club and Penrith Chamber of commerce as well as participating in many more local council events.
When asked what advice Roland would give to others considering a career within the Smallgoods sector, he said “take a chance, it’s a fun and evolving industry with ample opportunities.”
