Ep. 242: Chairman of the (charcuterie) board

Jeff “Trip” Tripician has played in nearly every sandbox in the meat industry: Conventional animal proteins to claims-based brands, the meat industry’s bleeding edge of technology — cultivated meat — to, most recently, a step back in time as CEO of Charcuterie Artisans. In this position, Tripician oversees the storied Daniele and Creminelli brands of salumi and charcuterie.

Charcuterie is exploding as a consumer category, spurred on by beautiful images of assembled charcuterie boards on Instagram and TikTok, especially among younger millennials and Gen Z. Boards can be made for large parties, or in grab-and-go packages for individual meals. And Charcuterie Artisans’ brands should not get the dreaded “UPF” tag, Tripician contends, because of the centuries-old recipes and techniques used to make them and their lack of industrial additives.

Tripician joined MeatingPod to discuss the twists and turns of his career, the state of salumi, charcuterie and cured meats now, and how he expects the sector to develop in the years ahead.

Note: In the discussion, Tripician refers to the Dukcevich family, which oversaw the U.S. part of the Daniele brand from 1976 to 2019, and Cristiano Creminelli, who founded his eponymous company in 2006.