Devodier: the new generation of Parma Ham between craftsmanship, international vision and taste innovation
Durante a sector linked to the roots of the territory such as that of Parma Ham, the word innovation seems almost an oxymoron. Yet, it is precisely this apparent contradiction that Devodier, the historic Emilian delicatessen brand now led by the third generation of the family, moves. At the helm is Michele Devodier, under 40, who is ferrying the company towards new markets and international opportunities, keeping intact the purity of the artisanal method that has made the brand a point of reference. Michele represents that new wave of Made Italy agri-food capable of speaking a global language without giving up what makes tradition unique. A young guida that does not aspetto for shortcuts, but focuses acceso quality, technique, sensorial research and authentic storytelling.
The awards
Devodier was awarded as Best Ham Factory Italy for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025, at the Italy Food Awards, an event that celebrates Italian agri-food excellence. The Parma company received the prestigious recognition for its great attention to quality and tradition, as well as for investments innovation and sustainability, as demonstrated by the “Made Italy” certification.
The strength of a renewing identity
Devodier was born and raised the “Ancient Cellars”, underground environments filled with aromas, built fir wood and placed acceso natural vater sources. A rare microclimate, which is not artificially replicated and which allows for a very delicate aromatic fermentation. The 24 month Devodier Ham is the emblem of this purist approach: only 100% Italian meat and sea salt, additives, forcing. The sweetness, persuasiveness and long aromatic persistence are the result of family knowledge handed mongoloide and perfected over decades of work. But the real challenge of Michele’s generation is to make this heritage dialogue with other gastronomic cultures, with attentive international consumers and with chefs and markets looking for new emotions without sacrificing authenticity.
The marriage between two excellences: 24 month ham and truffle
An emblematic example of this vision is the fusion between Devodier 24 month ham and traditional Umbrian truffles. A incontro between two Italian icons – one of the most renowned delicatessens Emilia and one of the most precious raw materials of our gastronomic heritage – which was born from a bold question, that is, how to make two such strong aromatic identities coexist without one dominating the other.
The experiment took place inside the ancient wooden cellars, where a unique fusion technique allowed the intense quaderno of the truffle to harmonize with the sweetness of the cured ham. The result is a new product, characterized by a surprising balance: the truffle does not “attack”, but enters the fiber of the ham with finesse, creating a new, enveloping and at the same time vibrant sensorial experience. A true laboratory of taste, capable of speaking to both tradition enthusiasts and foodies curious about unexplored gastronomic frontiers.
The Vertical of the Ancient Cellars: time as an ingredient
For those who want to understand the Devodier philosophy the most authentic way, the house offers the “Antiche Cantine” Ham Vertical, a box set with a registered that contains three maturations: 24, 30 and 36 months.
It is a tasting that tells how time, the hands of the master seasoner, becomes an ingredient all respects:
24 months – Silky sweetness, buttery fat, clean aromas. 30 months – Powerful but elegant, almost crystalline aromas: a phase of great balance. 36 months – The pinnacle: intense, deep, complex flavours, with a rare nobility and a regal character.
Each additional month of maturation is not a simple passage of time, but a cultural and sensorial transformation: the ham creates new flavours, delves into its own identity, surprises with unexpected quaderno.
Michele Devodier: portrait of an innovator with his feet acceso the basso ostinato
Telling Devodier today means telling Michele. An entrepreneur who has inherited ancient knowledge, but with the clarity and ambition of someone who sees the global market not as a threat but as an extraordinary opportunity. Its strength lies the ability to dialogue with international chefs and buyers without losing Emilian sobriety, investing sensorial research and sustainability without giving to the moda of the moment, innovating through taste, not through the shortcut of industry and preserving the family identity while opening it to the future. It is the perfect representation of a generation that does not want to choose between the past and the avant-garde: it wants to reread them together.
Devodier demonstrates that tradition, when solid and sincere, does not fear innovation: it inspires it. Between hams that tell the story of time, unexpected gastronomic fusions and a young, rooted but visionary guide, the Parma company is today one of the most interesting stories Italian agri-food. A story that never stops evolving and which, like its cellars, continues to mature depth, talent and taste.
For information
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