It has been able to keep the cultural and food and wine traditions of the area alive through its products and for these reasons the Matera bakery Pane & Pace won the «Guardiano del Gusto 2024» award, a recognition awarded by Confesercenti Verona.
The award ceremony took place during the “Le Piazze dei Sapori” event which brings the typical products and the most sought-after food and wine productions in Italy to the historic centers of the cities, carefully selected, and which represent the flavor of all the Italian regions. Dop, Docg, Doc products, but also particularities unknown to the general public which thus reawaken forgotten tastes.
“Today we need bread to nourish the body and peace to nourish the spirit – he declared – Giacinto Mingione sales manager of Antico Forno Perrone in Matera. In 2004 – continued Mingione – when we relaunched the brand, we combined these two very important words, to be promoters, through the love of food, of a positive message. Our family has deep origins in the city of Matera: for generations we have been producing bread in a wood-fired oven. The attention to sustainability is very high, in fact branches from the undergrowth and olive trees are used to bake the bread. We then recover the ash for fertilizing the olive groves. The same olives, fruit of the land, are used for oil and as ingredients in some baked recipes. Today our bread reaches very far: thanks to the search for the best flours, you can find it in Europe, as far as Hong Kong and Tokyo”
Also in line with his thinking Alessandro Torluccio director of Confesercenti: “The real connection was Salvatore Russo who, during the organization of the last &LOVE, the event dedicated to communication and marketing, presented me with this case history which immediately struck me. All the ingredients were there to award him the Guardiano del Gusto award: quality, research, respect for tradition and promotion of the territory through gastronomy, sustainability. I confronted the President Paolo Bissoli and we had no doubts. Pane&Pace therefore wins this recognition. Today there is an overload of information and knowing how to stand out and tell your story is fundamental, especially for those small-medium enterprises that cannot compete in terms of production quantity with large-scale distribution but which protect Made in Italy and the tradition of our gastronomic culture” .
“This time you have moved me and I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart – he continued Salvatore Russo. – A synergy was born with Confesercenti Verona that has linked us for more than ten years. In February, when we met for the &LOVE event, I didn’t hesitate and presented PANE&PACE, because its story is truly a winning one and can be an important stimulus for other companies. Today it is not enough to produce a good product, but the real challenge is knowing how to communicate in the correct way, enhancing key points such as respect for the history of the territory, traditions and the environment. This union has led the ancient bakery of Matera to also be present abroad, and to receive prestigious awards, such as the Tre Pani Award, awarded by Gambero Rosso”.
“As president I can only congratulate you for the excellent work and commitment that the Perrone family puts in every day to create exceptional bread – concluded the President of Confesercenti Verona, Paolo Bissoli. – I thank Salvatore Russo for making us aware of this reality, because thanks to new stimuli each of us can always grow and improve. Sharing is an engine of growth and solidarity and with your generous spirit, you have been able to create important bridges of connections and mutual support. Thanks to the whole team, to the Association Scaligeri chefs who support us during these days of the event and served hot Matera bread with extra virgin olive oil from our territory. In a world that is evolving rapidly, the real secret is to create synergy between our members, to tell and give the right visibility to Italian excellence”.
Freelance journalist. Among the collaborations, Il Quotidiano della Basilicata, Avvenire, Il Fenotipo (periodical of Avis Basilicata), Fermenti (periodical Diocese of Tricarico), Infooggi.
