Charcuterie Artisans, now the largest manufacturer of charcuterie products in the U.S. following the acquisition of La Quercia Cured Meats, recently opened an Innovation Center on its Rhode Island campus. 

The Innovation Center will serve as a collaborative hub for customers and vendors to develop products and forge strategic partnerships. 

“We’re not just manufacturers, we’re innovators," says Cristiano Creminelli, chief artisan and co-founder of Charcuterie Artisans’ Creminelli brand. “We want to collaborate with grocers, retailers, progressive food service groups and brand partners to develop what’s next. Whether that’s new flavor profiles, format innovations or meeting other specific needs of a customer, we have the recipes, the expertise and the capacity to bring it to life.”

An investment of over $12 million in 2026 will enhance production capabilities and output efficiency. The company’s 660,000-sq.-ft. of manufacturing space will be capable of 54 million pounds of production by the end of 2026 with branded and private-label solutions for all classes of trade.

Each Charcuterie Artisans facility offers a unique specialty, ranging from handcrafted production to higher-volume operations producing everything from prosciutto, salami, whole-muscle products and cooked products (mortadella, pepperoni, coppa) in sliced and bulk formats, plus chubs, entertaining trays and snack packs.

With capacity available across manufacturing locations in Rhode Island, Iowa and Utah and the Innovation Center open, Charcuterie Artisans is actively seeking partners ready to capitalize on the category’s momentum.

“What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift in how people think about food,” says John Brock, executive vice president of sales and marketing of Charcuterie Artisans. “Consumers today want to celebrate food by understanding where it comes from, how it’s made and the impact it has. They’re looking for products that check multiple boxes — portable, shareable, accessible and authentic. Charcuterie delivers on all of this."