Volpi Foods is a St. Louis artisan cured meats company and Wells Fargo customer.
Volpi Foods is a St. Louis artisan cured meats company and Wells Fargo customer.
Business to Business
January 26, 2016

Italian tradition flavors this family business

Volpi Foods, a St. Louis artisan cured meats company, continues to build on its 110-year tradition — and a three-generation family heritage.

On The Hill — a traditional Italian neighborhood in St. Louis — Lorenza Pasetti is carrying on a family legacy.

Volpi Foods makes dry-cured meats and other specialties using artisan techniques that originated in Milan, Italy. Her great-uncle, John Volpi, emigrated from Milan in 1900 and started the business in St. Louis. Lorenza took over operations from her father, Armando. Many other relatives also work for the company, and Lorenza’s children now work alongside her.

Wells Fargo’s Rhoads Hall works with Lorenza as she looks to expand the business. He says, “I like working with multigenerational businesses like Volpi because the families are ‘all in.’ This is not a hobby for them.”

The company began with 10 employees and now employs about 175, making it a significant business in the region.

“This has been a great place for a lot of people to find employment, a good job right here in the heart of St. Louis,” says Rhoads.

Volpi Foods is one of many women-led businesses supported by a new Wells Fargo initiative, Women’s Partnership for B-to-B Success. Monica Cole from Wells Fargo is part of the initiative, and says the focus is on “the power of women and their influence on the economy.” Volpi Foods is also served by Wells Fargo’s Emerging Middle Markets Group, which focuses on meeting the needs of smaller middle-market companies, an often underserved segment of the business community.

Lorenza says, “It’s nice to have a banking relationship with Wells Fargo because they understand our business, and they help us grow.”

Lorenza Pasetti, Volpi Foods president and CEO
The Volpi Foods salumeria
Italian sausages are prepared and packaged in the same Italian neighborhood where John Volpi started the company.
Retired Volpi President Armando Pasetti still works at the retail store.
Deanna and Derek Depke represent the third generation working in the family business.
Traditional methods require meats to cure in a temperature-regulated room.
Volpi products are packaged in St. Louis and distributed all over the U.S.
Prosciutto, an Italian cured ham, is one of Volpi Foods’ best-sellers.
Lorenza Pasetti, great-niece of the company founder, is now president and CEO of Volpi Foods.
The Volpi Foods "salumeria," or Italian delicatessen, has been serving customers on The Hill in St. Louis for more than 110 years.
Italian sausages are prepared and packaged in the same Italian neighborhood where John Volpi started the company.
Retired Volpi President Armando Pasetti started working for his uncle’s company at age 15. Now 91, he still works at the retail store.
Deanna and Derek Depke represent the third generation working in the family business.
Traditional methods require meats to cure in a temperature-regulated room for weeks, sometimes months.
Volpi products are packaged in state-of-the-art facilities in St. Louis and distributed all over the U.S.
Prosciutto, an Italian cured ham, is one of Volpi Foods’ best-sellers.
Written by: Anne Oberlander
Contributions from: Elizabeth Shemaria
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