Acetaia Bellei was founded in the Modena area, specialising in the production of high-quality Modena Balsamic Vinegar. The Bellei family's tradition dates back to the 19th century, with the cultivation of vineyards and artisanal production. Today, the company continues to stand out for its dense, aged Balsamic Vinegar, which is appreciated both in Italy and abroad. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Mariangela Bellei, CEO of Acetaia Bellei, for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
«In this vinegar factory, time is not measured, but listened to.» Mariangela Bellei, head of Acetaia Bellei, has a wonderful idea. She pronounces it while caressing one of the four thousand oak barrels that preserve the memory of the family's Balsamic Vinegar. They are large and small, ranging from 15 to 220 litres, some – imagine the power of time! – are over a century old. They are the heart of a company born from an ancient tradition: that of grandmother Rosina, who began producing Modena Traditional Balsamic Vinegar in Modena in 1847. Here, brilliant intuitions are linked to the vocation of the territory and to the community's strength to think and to act, in this precise order. It all began with a gesture of love. An oak barrel, a wedding gift to Grandma Rosina, marked the beginning of everything. In Modena, tradition still holds that the bride was given a set of barrels of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. Not just an object, but the beginning of a family story. A "liquid" legacy passed down from mother to daughter, from father to son, from generation to generation. «There, in that barrel, along with the must, was already the seed of our vinegar factory. So our beginning was feminine: a woman who cared for time and ingredients. Every day I try to live up to that legacy», says Mariangela Bellei. A family passion. Bellei, with its first generations, was already cultivating vineyards and producing traditional balsamic vinegar in the 19th century. And those barrels reflected Modena on the outside and on the inside, containing everything yet still managing to forcefully emerge. Today, Acetaia Bellei is a company that exports to over 40 countries worldwide and has even opened a branch in the United States to connect with the most dynamic American market. «We still feel small, because quality isn't industrialised but preserved», emphasizes Mariangela Bellei. Small but agile and at the same time solid: Four million bottles produced each year with a growth of +9.3%.
Company profile. Numbers that weigh heavily, but no more than the artisanal slowness that remains the true centre of gravity. Mariangela Bellei has grown at this pace. After all – as we said before – the vinegar factory is a place where you learn to let time take its course. «Ours is a school of patience. Here, every drop matures, listening to the seasons, breathing through the wood, slowly transforming. I remember my sticky hands during the harvest, the smell of the must, the satisfaction of working with my father Mario. Before balsamic vinegar, we were also a winery: we bottled Lambrusco and called it Riserva degli Amici», says Bellei. Then, one day, the decision that changed everything: to focus exclusively on Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. «The conversion was the most difficult moment. Abandoning one tradition to start another. But when, at an international fair, I saw people getting excited tasting our vinegar, I knew that was our path.» Since then, growth has never stopped. It's not just the meticulous production that drives it. It's also the ability to showcase an ancient product in a contemporary way. Just look at her majesty The Balsamic Queen, awarded as the Most Innovative Product at the Summer Fancy Food Show. «For us, design isn't a disguise, but a statement. The bottle must express what Balsamic Vinegar truly is: elegance, depth, balance.» And here are the handkerchiefs that wrap the most iconic bottles: an ancient gesture re-imagined with a global perspective.
Being a business and a community. The identity remains firm in the recipe: only cooked Italian grape must, with the addition of wine vinegar and vinegar aged at least ten years. «More must, more density, more truth in that drop.» For Acetaia Bellei, densities of 1.24–1.35 aren't numbers, but a measure of patience and precision. After all, quality can't be shouted out. It's recognised at first taste. Sustainability has also become part of this narrative: 75% of bottles are made from R-PET, 90% of boxes are made from FSC-certified cardboard, and 60% of energy is self-produced. «Balsamic vinegar has taught us to respect the planet. Our task is to produce in a way that is consistent with the values we bring to tables around the world.» Slowness, therefore, is a form of responsibility. International competition for PGI products is increasingly fierce. «We defend ourselves with transparency. Tracing ingredients and processes is not a legal requirement: it is a moral duty towards those who choose our vinegar.» Because the real risk is not competition, but standardisation. The word Mariangela Bellei uses most often is journey. A journey through time, yes. But above all, among people. «Each bottle tells the story of the person who cared for it», she whispers as she opens a barrel smelling of wood and cooked must. «We don't sell a seasoning, but a story of family and passion.» And the future? «I don't want to change our direction but broaden our horizons. The dream is that more and more people, all over the world, can recognise the character of our city, Modena, in a drop.» Then she looks at those four thousand barrels, each different from the next. «If they could speak, they would say that waiting is not an obstacle, but an act of love.» In the silence of the barrel cellar, the Balsamic vinegar continues its work. It matures. It breathes. It preserves. Because here, time is not feared. Quite the contrary. Time transforms into a unique flavour.
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