Michele Martini

Born in 1926, Michele Martini is the first of three generations of butchers who still down to this day, in Boves (Cuneo, Italy), carry on the family business with passion and enthusiasm. The distinguishing characteristic of the Martini butcher’s shop is the overriding focus placed on the source of the meat and its genuine quality, and on continuing innovation in butchering and meat preservation methods.

Gastronomy and Wine Butchery

The butcher’s shop is famous for its fassone beef, a traditional Piedmontese breed of cattle. The cattle are fed the highest quality of rolled cereals and hay to guarantee the nutritional quality and digestibility of the meat, which as a result is bright red in colour, exceptionally tender, with a delicate taste and lean in fat.

As part of its customer-oriented approach, the family recently opened the new Officina della Carne di Martini, an innovative shop and meeting place, where customers can learn the origin of the meat they purchase as well as visit the firm and discover the supply chain—from the farm to slaughterhouse, to the ateliers in which the meat is selected and cut for sale.

In the words of the wine and food critic Davide Paolini, “It’s time to raise the curtain and discover who it is, behind the kitchens, that underpins the success of many chefs, beginning with the butchers, those masters of the knife who select the livestock from farmers, slaughter them themselves and often often original forequarter cuts and variety meats… Scattered across Italy, they are the silent actors behind the scenes. The crème de la crème is the butcher Michele Martini of Boves. For his colleagues he is a master, supplier of famous and not so famous local meats. His lamb, goatling, and fassone beef are outstanding.”