Our Story

BEGINNINGS

"Our family, like thousands and thousands of other Modenese families, has always produced Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO for self-consumption. Therefore, it is quite difficult for us to define exactly when the family tradition first started. In our vinegar cellar we do still have some barrels which belonged to my great-grandfather Mario (just like my father), but I don't want to erase anyone's merits by assuming he was the first one to start the production.

The seventies were a turning point: at the time, balsamic vinegar was still produced exclusively for self-consumption and by passionate people, but it was then that my grandfather Giorgio (after whom I was named) decided to start three hundred barrels from the get-go. Although he was an esteemed person, both on a personal and business level, I'm pretty sure someone must have thought he'd lost his clarity of mind! "

DEVELOPMENT

"At the time no one knew (or maybe someone actually foresaw it) that starting from the mid-eighties the product we jealously kept in our attics would have started to be liked, and a lot, by people from outside Modena. And they were so enthralled that they even wanted to buy it! Therefore, my father Mario and my grandfather Giorgio decided to further invest in the production of balsamic vinegar and turn their passion into a business!

Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away in 1989 before being able to see the final project. We were together only for the first 40 days of my life, and I'm not sure whether it was his dedication or my father's great passion (I like to think both) that was handed down to me, but now the 'black gold of Modena' flows inside me too."

Giorgio Gambigliani Zoccoli