Ferdinando Cavalli, wine-maker and cellar man as well as celebrated founder of our company, decided after WWII to extend the small family “Acetaia” (the place where the sets of barrels are stored for aging) in order to satisfy greater number of friends and best customers of his  small winery with a much appreciated gift of vinegar.  Until 1920 the winery had been well known in the area for its excellent production of Lambrusco sparkling white wines.

Considering his experience of wine-making over many years, it was completely natural for him to start from the essence of the wine, that is, the quality musts that have always been the principal ingredient in Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. Today, as in the past, the musts for Traditional Balsamic Vinegar are obtained from strictly local grape species such as Trebbiano, Spergola, Sauvignon and various Lambrusco grapes.

In order to realise his objective, father Ferdinando , known as Nando, set out with great passion to collect from throughout the countryside surrounding Scandiano, the greatest possible number of precious small barrels, some filled with old winegars of up to four, five generations, obtaining them from the most noble families around. In this way, in the Modena and Reggio Emilia area he was the first to be able to start up a home-industry production of a very respectable Traditional Balsamic Vinegar that in a few years he had made known and appreciated throughout the world. Thank you, Ferdinando!

Today it falls upon his son Giovanni, to assume this ancient “vinegar-making” art.

STUDIES AND RESEARCH ON THE EVOLUTION OF OUR PRODUCTION PROCESS

Cavalli is active in the study and research on balsamic vinegar. There is close collaboration with research institutes and analysis laboratories such as the University of Reggio Emilia and Modena, where various studies concerning balsamic vinegar are conducted.

Our company participated in the European research project Winegar (2005-2007) ‘Wood solutions for the excessive acidification length in the production of traditional vinegar’, where we studied the influence of woods (thickness, shape, species) in acetification. We have studied the different acetic bacteria, selected and developed the best ones for the production of traditional vinegar.

The collaboration with the University of Reggio Emilia and Modena (Unimore) continues over the years with new research projects and with some students who have spent an internship period to prepare their experimental degree thesis.

In 2010 the graduate Alessia Castorini prepared a thesis: “Research of the microbial communities of acetic bacteria during the production of balsamic vinegar” course of Science and Agriculture and Food, Curriculum in viticulture and oenology.

In 2011 the graduate Jean Bertin Sahmo Saa examined “Balsamic vinegar and its microbiological characteristics”

In 2012-2013 the collaboration produced a research “Study of the acidification process in a superficial and static system to improve the method for obtaining the balsamic dressing”

In 2014, the graduate Giorgia Mantovani prepared her Master’s internship “Design of the Agro-industry Technology Park”, Department of Life Science, former Faculty of Agriculture.

The company also collaborates with training institutes to facilitate the completion of courses with internship periods.

In 2016 Alessandro Belletti completed the internship of the Confimi-Formazione Emilia  course “Corporate quality system manager”;

Also in 2016, Drssa Ferretti Valentina completed the training internship of the IFOA course – Training Institute for Company Operators “Product and process technician in the agro-industry”

In 2017, Drssa Romagnoli Elisa, as part of the CTQ Postgraduate training  in product quality and certification in agri-food companies XIX and XX edition, completed the internship “development of documentation, implementation and verification of company activities with the objective of certification Integrated ISO22000 PAS2008”

There is no shortage of collaborations with the area’s high schools (e.g. High School Istitution “ Blaise Pascal” and “Antonio Zanelli”) for the reception of students as part of the alternating school and work programme.