San Marino’s prosciutto evolution

From “a few” to 1,000 legs weekly and 2,500 in sight

When Italian-raised butcher Antonio Marino bought out his business partner in 1984, he decided to start making “a few” prosciutto legs weekly as Australians’ tastes expanded.

The year was significant, as it was when his offspring, John and Marilena, joined the San Marino Smallgoods business in Adelaide.

“I started to make some prosciutto then, probably about one or two legs a week,” Antonio recalls with an infectious grin.

“We started supplying Italian-style delis around Campbelltown and I realised I could sell 20 a week.”

John, now running the business, says: “But orders kept increasing and we built a coolroom in our backyard.

Plenty to smile about... the Marino family (from left) Titiana, Elisabetta, Antonio, Marilena, John and Riccardo.

“Then in 1992, we built a factory at Cavan to make 100 legs a week. Then we got towards 500 and we couldn’t produce any more to meet demand.”

Some 18 months ago, the family built a stunning, state of the art factory with Italian technology at Athol Park to supply a national market demanding 1,000 legs of San Marino prosciutto weekly.

The factory has been built to ultimately produce 2,500 legs weekly, a target which the family believes is most achievable.

The Marino family was disappointed that the Federal Government relaxed import restrictions to allow prosciutto, mainly from Italy, to be imported into Australia but say they will reach their 2,500 target as their product is better and as national demand rises.

“The imported prosciutto is cheaper and people think that because it’s from Italy it must be the best. But ours is superior,” Marilena says.

“Over the years, our products have become well known for their exceptional quality and flavour, and quality will always win out.”
From producing one or two legs a week to a confident 2,500 forms a remarkable success story in the South Australian meat industry.

San Marino employs 24 people, and says part of the secret is having patience to cure the legs over 12 months “the old fashioned way” and only using meat from sows.

Antonio finds the growth of the business hard to credit. He began as a butcher in Italy in 1956, migrating to Australia four years later at age 19.

“I had to spend my first 11 months here as a building contractor but I wanted to be a butcher again,” he says.

“I always said if I ever got my foot in the door (in butchery), I’d never leave.

“I ended up getting four weeks work relieving at a butcher’s on Payneham Rd and then I got other work at a number of shops.

“Then in 1975, I bought a shop in Gouger St. I bought out my partner in 1984, John and Marilena came in and we have grown ever since.”

While Antonio and wife Elisabetta have largely retired from the business, John and Marilena control the show, along with huge help from John’s wife Titiana and Marilena’s son Riccardo.

They operate shops at Central Market and at their Athol Park factory, and distribute to butchers, delis and restaurants.

San Marino will be featured on SBS TV early in the New Year on the new show Italian Food Safari, hosted by Maeve O’Meara who visits the Marino family whenever she is in Adelaide.

She says one of her most memorable Italian food experiences was with the family.

“I was amazed to see them spread polenta over a table and then just add beautiful toppings of vegetables and meat,” she told The Advertiser.

“Then everyone sat down and ate it from the table. It was wonderful.”