Salumificio Santoro

Founded in 2000 by Giuseppe Santoro and enriched in 2009 by the arrival of butcher Piero Caramia from Martina Franca, Salumificio Santoro is a family business rooted in the heart of the Itria Valley in Cisternino. Giuseppe's children — Angela, Micaela, Nico, and Silvio — carry forward a project that combines artisan tradition, respect for the animal, and promotion of local terroir. The salumeria is part of the Capocollo di Martina Franca Association, a Slow Food Presidium since 2000.

The pigs are raised semi-wild in the woods, and the cured meats are produced using ancient methods: dry salting, marinating in cooked wine, packing in natural casing, hand-tying, and smoking with Fragno bark, the oak typical of the Itria Valley. In addition to Capocollo di Martina Franca, the range includes Murgia-style country salami, sweet and spicy soppressata, lardellato filetto, and staffa salami. Santoro also founded the "Community of the Swine of the Itria Valley" to unite farmers and producers around the same ethical and quality principles.