Mario's house
and its salami
Mario's house
and its salami
Mario's house
and its salami
Mario's house
and its salami
Mario's house
and its salami
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Bortolotti's grocery store, 1930

Mario’s adventure began in Cene, a small village in the beautiful Seriana Valley, north east of the city of Bergamo. All the members of the Bortolotti family were born in this beautiful place set in the foothills of the Orobie Alps surrounded by mountains with the crystal clear waters of the River Serio running through the valley. Mario’s father opened a wholesale cheese shop in Cene helped by his seven children and by the young Mario. Mario’s dream, however, was to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and to open a sausage making business.
The village of Cene, 1950
The Seriana Valley, early 1900
The village of Cene, 1950
Bortolotti's laboratory, 1960
Mario’s father gave him permission but there was a condition, he had to learn his craft in a butcher’s shop for two years without pay. This was a way for Mario to test his will and perseverance.

Together with his wife Rossella Mario built the first small scale factory under his flat, working for fourteen hours every day and not even taking any holidays in the first five years.

Bortolotti's factory, 1986

Mr Mario ’s school book, 1977
Mr Mario at work, 1970
Mr Mario and his wife Rossella, 1978
Bortolotti's laboratory, 1986

The slicing room today

All the effort that Mario put into his work lead to big results. The products were appreciated in all the area and this gave Mario the chance to build a bigger and modern laboratory in Cene, his native land.

Nowadays the combination of experience, passion and technology are the key factors that allow Mario Bortolotti to be one of the best italian producer of salami.
The Pancetta processing department, Today
The office area, Today
The Salami bagging department, Today
The Sales department, Today

The breath of nature

To build a house you must first start with solid foundations. We decided to build our factory in Cene for two main reasons, firstly to continue employing local people and secondly to make the most of the incredible climate and ecosystem of our valley. Above all it was the valley’s alpine air that Mario Bortolotti sought for his products, and it was at the foot at the foot of a pretty little hill where he was born and where he lives, that he identified a wooded area of ​​over 34,000 m2 that could serve as a safe and very important source of mountain air for the slow and natural seasoning of his cured meats.

In our single large factory, we produce today hundreds of different seasoned products in unique maturing cellars built underground into the heart of the hillside. Recreating the unique ecosystem and maturing environment as in the heart of Val Seriana would be impossible in a warehouse by the side of a motorway. Salamis breathe as they mature, with frequent changes of air, and what makes our salamis so completely unique is that they breathe the air that is drawn in directly from the wooded hill above. We call it “The Breath of the Nature”.

The technology

We think that great food brings people together. Our goal is therefore to produce outstanding products that do precisely that, healthy and uniquely delicious. It seems simple, but to reach this goal we work very hard every day investing in research, infrastructure and latest generation technology and production machinery.

We are convinced that the “Salumi citadel” of Bortolotti we have created in Cene, is the perfect place to produce delicious salamis that proudly represent the very best traditions of Italian delicatessen throughout Europe and the world.

Our people

In an age where technology is advancing so quickly, we believe it is important not to forget that there are people at the heart of everything, with their toolbox of skills, know how, knowledge and emotions.

The choice to build our factory in Cene, our home, was really about this basic truth, not only to embrace technology but also to embrace the people who are at the heart of all we do. Technology without people is nothing more than automation.

It is the human touch of love, care and pride in making our products that really makes the difference, and we believe that efficiency comes from a high degree of craftsmanship blended with leading edge technology.

It is thanks to our people that we can guarantee an efficient service to the customer and a flow of new products and great innovative ideas.

We are very proud of our employees and above all we are proud of the ancient tradition of pride in one’s own hard work which characterises the people of our region.