Culatello di Zibello preaffettato sales rise 8.2% in H1 2026

In the first six months of 2026 the Consorzio di Tutela del Culatello di Zibello DOP placed 527,457 pre‑affettato trays on the market, an 8.2% increase over the same period in 2025. The number of whole culatelli earmarked for specific processing grew from 16,178 to 17,789, a rise of 10%, representing 41.7% of total DOP output versus 36.8% a year earlier. Total culatelli launched into production fell slightly to 42,661, down 3% from the prior year after a 12.8% surge the previous year.

In 2025 the consortium had released 1.06 million trays, allocating 34,392 to pre‑affettato (41.5% of total volume) and generating revenue above €12 million. Over the past decade the pre‑affettato share has risen from 4.6% of total production in 2015 (71 k trays). The consortium, which brings together 20 producers across seven municipalities of the Bassa Parmense, continues promotional activities; on 18 July it featured at the Tramonto DiVino roadshow in Riccione before an audience of about 600. President Romeo Gualerzi said, “i dati del primo semestre confermano quanto auspicavamo: il preaffettato continua a crescere in modo strutturale e garantisce ai consorziati un mercato più stabile.”