FROM CALABRIA TO SEATTLE (USA), A NEW “COMPANY” FOR THE EXPORT OF EXCELLENT ITALIAN PRODUCTS AND THE PROMOTION OF SOUTHERN ITALY’S TERRITORIES

It was a lovely evening for Italians in Seattle to celebrate the grand opening of the Nduja USA store. Artisanal Italian charcuterie will be made in Seattle using the traditional ages old recipes of ‘Nduja e Salumi artigianali Bellantone’, from Spilinga in Calabria.
The party was held at 450 Alaskan on the building’s rooftop which overlooks the city and sound.
There were many important presentations throughout the night, such as the one by Honorary Consolate Elisabetta Valentini, Davide Vigano Cofounder & CEO at Sensoria Health Inc. and past executive at Microsoft, Franco Tesorieri past Italian consolate of Seattle. Also present were chef’s, restauranteurs, delegates from Italian associations, representatives from Casa Italiana and the association “Alliance for Pioneer Square”, also in attendance were brokers and importers who specialize in high end Italian products.

The honorary guest of the evening was the chef of the Hollywood stars, Celestino Drago. With more than 10 restaurants throughout Los Angeles he has conquered the palates of Americans by specializing in top quality Italian products. Chef Drago prepared a variety of plates using Calabrian imported goods and charcuterie from companies whos goods will be sold at the Nduja USA store.
This beautiful event was held to present the first ever Nduja USA store which will be opening soon on Yesler Way in Pioneer Square. The goal of this store is to become a reference point for superior products from Southern Italy in Washington state and throughout the West coast.

SEATTLE is the capital of King County in the state of Washington and a port city on the west coast of the United States of America. With an estimated population of 744,945 people, it is located approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada-US border. With an annual growth rate of 2.1% as of July 2013, it was the fastest growing city in the United States, remaining in the Top 5. As of 2015, it was the fourth largest port in North America in terms of container movement and one of the main trading hubs for Asia. Many of our compatriots live and work in Seattle, the cradle of major corporations such as Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and Starbucks.
In 2026 Seattle will host the next World Cup and our exhibition space will be located near the Stadium.

The goal is to become the reference point for Southern Italian products not only in Seattle, but throughout the West Coast, with a set of distinguishing characteristics that will serve to identify the location such as:

• Exhibition and sales space with permanent presence of the product
• A dedicated place, in the heart of Seattle, where families can spend time, enjoying the products made in South-Italy
• Promotion of the product and the reference territory with local companies and distributors
• A physical office to assist customers
• Assistance and facilitated access to a market that is too complex and expensive for small companies looking for new contacts;
• Ships throughout the United States
• Large spaces for product tastings, event organization and new product launches

Among the different goals of the new permanent showcase in the United States are the promotion of agreements and relationships, as well as the support of companies from Calabria and Southern Italy in general, in the internationalisation processes in this specific area, and also in the rest of the United States.

Another goal is to raise awareness and relevance of regional agricultural and food products in a marketplace like the United States, by intercepting consumer behaviour caused by the pandemic, such as attention to healthier lifestyles and food safety. Food excellence, which combines raw material quality and production techniques, has all of the requirements to meet this marketplace demand.

Therefore, the mission’s goal is to launch a programme aimed at the US market at a time when American consumers are demonstrating their preference and willingness to choose high-quality products over those that have been subjected to a counterfeiting process for years.
This is especially true for “nduja of Spilinga,” but also for cheeses, pickles, various condiments, baked goods, and sweets.
“Bloomberg” has enhanced the ‘Nduja, a product born and raised in the Calabrian community of Spilinga, to the status of culinary ingredient of the moment. A growing number of international chefs are appreciating this spicy salami and introducing it into their menus. “Cooking with nduja is cool,” said starred British and American chefs.

In fact, it was here that the concept of “Nduja in the USA” was born. It arises from the observation of many Calabrian and Spilingese compatriots, who in the light of the low quality of counterfeit products, passed off as the traditional “‘nduja of Spilinga”, have decided to start producing the ‘nduja of Spilinga in the USA, following their well-known art and the quality that every family has handed down from generation to generation. The first experience in this direction, but only for small productions, was the “Nduja Guys” company founded by two Spilinge emigrants. Now comes the great project of the first Spilingese company, the “Nduja e Salumi Bellantone”, which opens its own office in SEATTLE.

A project designed to help even Americans distinguish the “real” product from the many imitations. All while waiting for an easier export of Spilinga’s product to the United States, which is currently hampered by strict “introduction” measures in the US market.
As a result, the “showcase” presented in Seattle on the excellences “Made in South Italy” will focus on the ‘nduja, as well as all the products representing the various territories and niche ones. Meanwhile, companies that have already been fully licenced, such as “Dolciaria Monardo,” “Colacchio Food,” “Delizie Vaticane,” “Sapori Antichi/Muraca,” and “Borgo dei Vinci,” are taking part in this first phase of the project. Even so, consideration is also given to small producers, particularly niche producers, who are struggling to enter the US market, be found by consumers in supermarkets, and reach American homes.
Since the early 1980s, Americans have appreciated Italian gastronomic products. And despite the new trends, the appreciation for traditional Italian gastronomy has grown considerably over the decades. Today our food excellences are sought after by many US consumers. This happens thanks to the growing attention towards quality products, but also by the greater awareness of the importance of healthy eating. This is demonstrated by the consolidation of the “Mediterranean Diet”.
The US food industry reaches $4 trillion in annual sales. There are 225,000 grocery stores serving a population of 325 million people. Selling food specialties in the USA is therefore a business with great potential.
An important factor that determines the success of the commercial action is the proximity to large distribution chains: for example, in our case, Amazon, which in addition to having a broker in the area allows a more direct and effective approach with the management.