Hello dear readers of the blog about life with children!

Wikipedia says thatHamon(Spanish. jamón - ham) - Spanish national delicacy, dry-cured pork leg.

Laconic, isn't it? In fact, this definition will never convey the feelings that you experience when you put a transparent piece of Jamon Iberico in your mouth. It's actually divine. Especially against the background of our sausages and "delicacies", which are in huge quantities on the shelves. So, everything that is in Russia cannot be compared with Hamon.

New information from the store:

Store owner: Willem van der Merwe
Contacts: [email protected], there is also a group in FaceBook
Delivery time: It all depends on the work of the Russian post, sometimes it takes 10 days, sometimes 30-35 days.

Prices in the store are 2-3 times lower than in Russia, even taking into account delivery. Delivery by the way is not so expensive. The approximate cost per kilogram is as follows:

Economy | Priority | EMS
from 1 to 5 | 8 eur | 9.2 eur | 11.65 eur
from 5 to 10 | 5 eur | 5.74 eur | 7.1 eur
from 10 to 15 | 4.4 eur | 5.1 eur | 6.2 eur
from 15 to 20 | 4.1 eur | 4.8 eur | 5.8 eur
from 20 to 25 | not available | 4,6 eur | 5.5 eur
from 25 to 30 | not available | 4,2 eur | 5.2 eur

By the way, when sending from Spain abroad, VAT tax is deducted, if you go to the site, you will see two prices, the one that is tax-free and will be correct, after registration there will be only one price, which is already tax-free. For information on how to register and get a discount in the store, see the bottom of the article. Attention!!! 5% discount coupon - Nikospart.

UPD. Parcels from Spain with jamon arrive normally, even despite the sanctions. For example, here is the tracking of my last parcel:

CK051421603ES, see here: http://www.russianpost.ru/tracking20/

But my advice is, it is better to use EMC delivery, where the probability of returning the parcel is reduced to almost zero!

In the store you can buy:

Jamon.

Jamon is divided into two main types, Iberico jamon and Serrano jamon.

Jamon Serrano is a distinctive feature: a white pig, a jamon has a white hoof.

The most accessible Jamon is this leg (all leg names are clickable):

Jamon Serrano "Duroc" from Teruel.

Exposure: 16 - 18 months

Weight: 7 - 7.5 kg

It costs only 63 euros for the whole leg! Moreover, this is not a seven-month-old Curado, this is an excellent seasoned Jamon. In Russia, such prices start at 9500 thousand, it is enough to google to make sure of this.

You can also take a leg from another manufacturer.

Jamon Serrano Mariano Gomez 'Añejo'

This Aged Jamon is a unique product that is individually produced from the best raw materials with very little salt added. The entire production process takes place under close control. Each ham undergoes the necessary aging in special cellars. This is the only way to guarantee the quality of Mariano Gomez Serrano ham.

This careful and slow production process ensures that each leg reaches its optimum aging level, acquiring its characteristic flavor and aroma.

Quality assurance: The entire jamon production process, from the moment the hams arrive at the Mariano Gomez production site, until the finished ham is released, is followed by a tracking system. Thus, the quality of the product is guaranteed from the beginning to the end of production.

Variety: jamon leg without hoof

Exposure: 16 - 18 months
Weight: 7.5 - 8 kg

By the way, in order not to buy jamonier, you can take boneless meat, for example this: Price 85 euros.

Jamon Serrano "Reserva from Teruel.

Jamon has a characteristic V-shape.

Exposure: 14 - 16 months

Weight: 5 - 5.5 kg

Price 63 euros.

Or you can take pieces of Jamon, 500 grams each, for a sample. They cost only 8 euros.

For example, these are:

Jamon Serrano 'Mature' (piece) - Mariano Gómez (500g)

Boneless jamon, cut into pieces weighing ± 500 g. Each piece is individually vacuum packed.

Exposure: 18 months

Weight: ± 500g

Jamon Serrano, of course, is great, but the most delicious Jamon is, of course, Iberico. Its cost is slightly higher, but the taste sensations are completely different.

Iberico - the hallmark: black pig, jamon has a black hoof

Recebo - made from pigs fed fodder with acorns

Bellota - made from pigs fed a pure acorn diet

The cost of Jamon Iberico starts at 120 euros per foot and reaches truly unattainable values ​​(344 euros per foot, isn't it too low?), Although real gourmets will certainly prefer the very best.

You can start the tasting with small half-kilogram pieces, if you do not want to impress your guests with the gorgeous view of the foot on the jamoniera.

Jamon Iberico Beyota DO Guijuelo (hand cut) - Victor Gomez (100 g)

Jamon Iberico Beyota DO from Guijuelo (Salamanca) is produced with the traditional slowness that this delicious meat with a sweetish aroma deserves. The ripening of the Iberian Beyote jamon takes place in the cellars of the Sierra de Bejar, where the meat takes on a purplish red color with thin streaks of fat that melt in the mouth.

Víctor Gómez produces exclusive and limited editions of high quality Iberian ham. All products are made according to old family recipes. Following tradition, as well as the use of modern equipment, allows you to achieve the unique taste and aroma characteristic of the Iberian ham from Víctor Gómez.

Exposure: +30 months

Price: 13.4 euros

If finances allow, then you can immediately take a set of slices to treat friends or for future use;) for example, like this:

Natural Iberico Beyota Jamon (whole, hand cut) - 5 Jotas

Hand-cut 5J ("Cinco Jotas") jamon leg in an exclusive "5J" case. The perfect gift!

Set of packs of natural Iberico Beyote jamon

5 Jotas hand cut:

26 x 80g bags of hand cut ham

1 bag of small jamon cubes

1 bag of jamon bones

Description brochure

Natural Iberico Beyota jamon “5 Jotas” is distinguished by its incomparable taste and rich bouquet of aromas with a sillage and uniform meat color with many shiny streaks of bacon.

Unlike other online stores that purchase 5 Jotas jams from distributors, JamonShop.com buys all 5 Jotas jams directly from the manufacturer (Sanchez Romero Carvajal, the Osborne Group). This allows us to set competitive prices and, more importantly, to guarantee the freshness and quality of our products.

Slicing, but there is nothing better than the real leg of Jamon Iberico, the leg is a real art and philosophy of culinary!

And I propose to start my acquaintance with Hamon with an excellent eight kilogram leg from Victor Gomez.

Jamon Iberico Sebo DO Guijuelo - Victor Gomez (8 - 8.5 kg)

Exposure: +24 months

Weight 8-8.5 kilograms.

The cost is 132 euros.

And now the main question is where in Moscow and in Russia will you find a real Spanish Jamon Iberico for 5800 rubles ??? The answer is, of course, obvious! Must be taken in Spain!

By the way, it is very important that if you buy a whole leg, be sure to buy a Jamoneru stand, the jamoniera greatly facilitates cutting, even more so without it you simply cannot cut the Jamon correctly.

Here is the simplest and most functional jamoniera:

Stand for jamon / jamoner "Huelva" (walnut color)

Huelva Hamonera Stand (Buarfe) made of Chilean pine (walnut color) with black epoxy-treated steel handles and chrome-plated steel skewers.

It costs only 17.8 euros.

Registering and making a purchase in the Jamonshop store

To change the language, it is enough to select in the upper right menu the one in which it is easiest for you to perceive information, for example, Russian.

After we have added everything that we liked to the basket, go to the basket in order to be surprised at the resulting figure.

We click on the order confirmation, we are transferred to the PayPal website for payment, after payment we are waiting with peace of mind to send our order. It usually takes a couple of days to prepare a parcel. Well, then it remains only to track the path of the parcel from Spain to Russia. By the way, it is better not to send more than three legs in one parcel, and do not forget about the monthly customs limits of 1000 euros and 31 kg.

How to cut Jamon correctly!

This is the way of slicing Jamon:

And this is the way of slicing the Palette:

The image of each country carries a certain set of stereotypes by which others unmistakably recognize it. Bear Vodka Balalaika. Beer - sausages - cabbage. Bullfighting - football - jamon.
Today we have Jamon, Spain.

It is believed that the production of jamon in the Iberian Peninsula was born in the shaggy centuries, as the only way to preserve pork in hot climates without refrigerators, and also given the many months of sea travel, once the mistress of the seas.

Considering the mountainous climate of certain regions of Spain, where winter temperatures and natural humidity coincide with those required for salting, drying and drying pork, God himself commanded to produce this delicious compact product saturated with all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
We managed to arrange a visit to a factory producing ham and sausages in the La Rioja region in the town of Baños de Río Tobía.

The Martínez Somalo factory has existed since 1900 and continues to be a family business for the fourth generation.
In general, it is interesting that in a small town with a population of about 2,000 people, there are 5 large sausage and ham factories, which is explained by the ideal location in the valley between two mountains, where the climate is ideal for aging these delicious products.

Here is a list produced by Martínez Somalo:
CHORIZO SARTA EXTRA
CHORIZO SARTA 100% NATURAL DULCE Y PICANTE
LA GLORIA RIOJANA
CHORIZO SARTA IGP RIOJANO
CHORIZO EXTRA GRAN VELA
CHORIZO BARBACOA DULCE Y PICANTE
CHORIZO SEMICULAR 100% NATURAL
SALCHICHÓN SARTA
SALCHICHÓN SEMICULAR
LOMO EMBUCHADO EXTRA DUROC
JAMÓN SERRANO
JAMÓN PIMENTONADO
CHORIZO SARTA IGP RIOJANO
CHORIZO CON VINO 110
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the process of cutting carcasses and working with raw materials, but they showed everything, answered all questions.
The factory is located in an old 6-storey building, where production is located on the lower ones, and the upper ones are equipped with modern salting and drying chambers. Also outside the city, another complex was built for the final aging of the ham and the shipment of products.

Sausages
Traditionally in Spain, the main spice added to sausages is red pepper of various varieties. According to the technologist, pepper is an excellent natural preservative and antioxidant, which creates the authenticity of the recipe.
Of course, being an experienced homemade sausage maker, I did not fail to squint and ask about the use of nitrites, flavor enhancers and other chemicals. Moreover, it is easy to check: according to EU laws, all additives must be indicated on the packaging.

The technologist happily revealed all the recipes that boiled down to the basic:
Meat, red pepper (various) garlic, salt. There is a variety of sausages with the addition of 9% red wine.
For salting jamon, the prescribed amount of sodium nitrite is used.

After stuffing, the sausages are placed in a chamber where they dry at temperatures from +3 to +17 and humidity from 80 to 63%, decreasing the humidity and raising the temperature as they dry. With a loss of 28-35% of weight, the sausage is ready and goes to the consumer.

Jamon
Of course, now everything is automated at the factory. It's fun to watch how huge pork legs pass along the conveyor, fall into a drum, where they roll in nitrite salt, each is weighed, marked and put into a box for a hundred feet, sprinkling each row with a large amount of salt, after which the boxes are taken to the chamber, where at + 2C feet will be salted according to the classic formula 1kg - 1 day.

Then the salt is washed off the feet and sent to the chamber for leveling the salt and drying at +4 + 11C for 5-6 months. This is followed by maturation and fermentation of meat +14 + 20C for 6 - 12 months.

Entrepreneur Dmitry Aksyonov - on the ideology of premium products and the positive effect of sanctions

We were looking for an entrepreneur for a long time who would say these words: “I will not dissemble, the sanctions have made a positive contribution to the development of my business. The exchange rate also plays into our hands. " And now they found it. Dmitry Aksyonov, owner of Vyalim Myaso, an online meat delicatessen store, told Biz360 about how the “Russian ham” was forged. In this story, there was a place for a smokehouse bath, an iron casting plant, handicrafts, Sportmaster, Yulmart, and even the Gold Rush program on the Discovery TV channel.

Dmitry Aksyonov, 32 years old, owner and director of the company "Dry the meat"... Born in the town of Kolchugino, Vladimir region. Graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Technology of the Vladimir State University with a degree in Foundry of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals. Before starting his own business, he worked in the field of marketing, participated in projects OZON, Sportmaster, Yulmart. He is married and has a two-year-old daughter.

Crisis of my dreams

I come from a small town in the Vladimir region. We lived in our own house. My father always kept a large farm: cows, sheep, pigs, chickens. We dried the meat in the cellar. Smoked with hot smoke in a homemade smokehouse made from a 200-liter barrel, and cold smoke in a bathhouse.

Carcass smoking of pigs is an old method that my father inherited from his father, and he from his. It happens in the bathhouse, the carcasses are suspended from the ceiling, the pipe is closed, alder chips are placed in the oven, ignited, and then the oven door is tightly closed and the chips begin to smolder. Smoking lasts from two to five days, depending on the weight of the carcass. From time to time you need to go into the bath and put wood chips in the oven. The bathhouse then smells of smoked meats for a very long time.

I am a fan of meat, I believe that fangs are given to a person in order to tear pieces of meat. I sincerely do not understand vegans, I will say more - I am afraid of them. I love meat in any form. I love boiled beef with homemade horseradish, mutton shashlik, beef stroganoff, jellied meat. I'm crazy about dry-cured sausages and salami. Well, and, of course, I really love dry-cured meat, which I make myself.

Probably, I have always dreamed of living in my house away from the bustle of the city, like in childhood, to smoke sausage and dry meat. In any case, the first step has already been taken.

In 2014, after well-known events, Russia imposed sanctions on European products. There was a lot of noise on the Internet - people were grieving that they would no longer be able to freely buy jamon and cheeses. I decided that since the market niche is empty, it means that it is possible to occupy it. Since I am not as strong in retail as in e-commerce, I chose the appropriate distribution channel.

There is a feeling that the cheese market has turned out to be more active than the jerky meat market - one constantly hears about small local industries. If you look in more detail, most local cheese dairies produce young cheeses. it doesn't take much time to perfect the technology. Parmesan - with its ripening period of several years - no one undertakes to release it. The same is with meat: it is very difficult to work out the technology when the results of the experiment have to wait for several months.

Long road to meat

After school, I entered the regional university to study "Foundry of ferrous and non-ferrous metals." At the time of my admission, this was the highest paid specialty in our town. By the end of the training, the factory was half collapsed and wages fell. However, I do not regret anything - the Soviet school of training engineers was not for nothing considered one of the strongest in the world. The main thing is that the university taught me to think structurally, to set priorities. The topic of my diploma is "Development of a plan for an iron casting workshop with a capacity of 10,000 tons of suitable products per year." The first experience of creating your own enterprise, albeit on paper.

I was invited to the Kaliningrad region to the iron casting plant as a technologist of the foundry. I worked there for a year and a half, with 37 adult men subordinate to the workshop. This was the first experience of leading people - not always successful, but very useful. In 2007, I returned to Vladimir, mainly due to the low salary of an engineer. I got a job as a sales manager, sold help desk services. The experience of direct sales and communication with clients also came in handy in the subsequent career.

In 2009 I moved to live in Moscow. Created and promoted electronic stores, participated in the launch of projects such as ozon.travel and sportmaster.ru... He was engaged in Internet marketing: advertising, usability audit, search engine optimization, etc.

In 2010 I created a company "Aksyonov PRO" in e-commerce consulting. This project still exists. I transferred it to the management of a team of young specialists and have a small percentage of their activities.

Internet marketing is a low-entry-bargaining business. A large number of companies have appeared that are engaged in this. I moved up to a higher level and am engaged in project management for business development in general.

First store

I opened my first online store in Moscow. The idea to sell handicraft goods was suggested to me by my wife, she also came up with the name Fadeno... The project lasted for over a year. Since there was no initial capital, I did everything myself. Received the order, went to the wholesaler, bought the product and sent it to the customer.

At a certain moment, I began to understand that the project needs money for serious development. I started looking for investments, got acquainted with the world of funds and business angels. It was then that I learned unit economics (calculating the economic indicators of a startup per client), financial planning and forecasting results.

Five proven tips from Dmitry Aksyonov for beginners
about financial planning

Be sure to calculate the economy of one unit of production, whether it is production or sale - it does not matter. You need to understand how much the price of this unit includes costs for raw materials, advertising, logistics, salaries, rent, loan payments, etc. This is the only way to see if your price is competitive in the market. If not, then your production is inefficient.

There are two types of business - for earning from operating activities and for earning from investments (sale of a business). You need to clearly understand what kind of business you are building, and plan your actions accordingly. Investments come in the hope of rapid growth, and earnings from economic activities, as a rule, do not give rapid growth. By the same principle, it is necessary to divide competitors: companies with a large investment wallet can work in the red for a long time, capturing the market. Trying to compete with them in price is ruining your business.

In business, as nowhere else, the rule “for one beaten two unbeaten give” works. Rarely does anyone manage to open a cool business on the first try. You need to gain experience and regard each attempt as a step to the top.

There are no identical companies. You can't look at your competitors and try to do everything as a carbon copy, like theirs. They are already on the market, they have a brand, customer loyalty. If you don’t come up with something new, you shouldn’t start.

Do not flatter yourself with a low threshold for entering a business. The market with a low threshold is the most difficult, as the competition is very high here. The threshold for entry means not only the start-up capital, but also your competencies: if you do something better than others, go for it.

Having digested the information received, I realized that with such a product as handicrafts - or, more precisely, its low margin - with an increase in turnover, there will be no increase in profits. Associated expenses will eat up all the revenue.

The bulk of stores in this segment are very small outlets with a turnover of up to 200 thousand rubles per month. Major players have their own developed trading networks. The main turnover is made up of embroidery kits: wholesale price - 1–2 thousand rubles, 50% mark-up, which is approximately equal to advertising and delivery costs.

Fadeno opened in 2012, closed in 2014. I entered this business with practically no investment, and left without profit. A zero declaration was submitted to the tax office. The project was closed. I got a good experience.

Moving to St. Petersburg

The next point in my life was St. Petersburg, where I took a good position as Marketing Director in the company. Topbrands... The company specialized in high fashion. Thanks to her, I understood what a product should be for a premium buyer.

The premium segment is working with a sophisticated client. Unlike the mass market, you cannot compete with the price here, the main tools are the quality of service and the "beautiful story". When buying a premium product, the customer wants to satisfy their emotional needs first. For example, a sausage should be more than just tasty. Premium sausage is a guarantee of high quality, exclusive, service and limited edition. This is how the client feels that he is chosen.

For example, if a client does not like the quality of the product, I guarantee a money back - we write about this on the site. This has never happened before. But I think it gives customers confidence.

From Topbrands I left in the midst of the crisis and sanctions. The owners and I had different views on how to act and develop in difficult times. In general, it was a mutual decision.

Finally, about meat

So, in 2014, people realized that they were losing jamon and cheeses. The lack of European products did not affect me personally. I very quickly found a replacement. Russian producers make delicious cheeses - for example, I like farm-cheese factory "Village"... I decided to make meat products myself.

There is a feeling that the cheese market turned out to be more active than the market for meat delicacies - here and there you can hear about small local cheese dairies. But look carefully: most of them are produced by young cheeses, since it doesn't take much time to perfect the technology. Parmesan, with its ripening period of several years, no one is in a hurry to produce here. The same is with meat: it is very difficult to work out the technology when the result of an experiment has to be waited for several months.

After the introduction of sanctions, we have almost no dry-cured meat "like in Europe". In Russia, venison, horse meat, and hunting products were traditionally dried, not pork with beef.

Cured meat is a ready-to-eat product without heat treatment. Excess moisture is removed during the maturation of meat in the fresh air. The ripening time depends on many factors, the process can take from one month to several years.

Now we produce several types of products with the so-called short-term aging (from 30 days) - this is lump dry-cured meat. Unlike ham and prosciutto, where the whole ham is used, we dry pieces weighing 2-3 kilograms. The reason for this is the time: the ham is dried for a year.

Dry-cured meat is a product of long-term storage. I cannot reveal all the secrets, but thanks to the salting technology, it has a characteristic taste and does not deteriorate for a long time (4 months in a vacuum). The most important thing here is not to oversalt the meat. We do not use artificial ingredients: only natural salt and natural spices. The technology allows them to be absorbed into the product, while retaining the right amount of moisture. Simply put, our meat is moderately salty, moderately soft, moderately tender and moderately dried.

Quality in this business is not just empty words. The end customer of our products is, first of all, a gourmet. A non-poor person who seeks variety in his diet.

Of course, we have competitors - this is the market. The winner will be the one who provides the maximum number of advantages: product quality, level of service. We set ourselves the goal of meeting the level of the best European manufacturers. They say: jamon. But jamon is a very broad concept. There are a lot of jamon producers in Spain, and the quality of this meat is very different. The same is true for prosciutto in Italy.

Watchtower

The Vyalim Meat project was launched in November 2014. I was building an online store and writing a business concept at the same time. The name, the logo is also my job. I had no companions. I will say more - none of my acquaintances at first believed in this idea: food production is associated with a large number of bureaucratic obstacles, and the demand for this type of product was questioned.

For food production in Russia, you need:

Documents giving the right to engage in entrepreneurial activity (IP is enough);

Declaration of conformity with the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union (TR CU);

STO - organization standard: a document regulating the entire production cycle;

Veterinary certificates - for the sale of products in shops and restaurants;

Production certificate from Rospotrebnadzor.

Rumors about bureaucratic obstacles were roughly true. It is very difficult to collect the entire list of documents required to launch a meat shop, and it is especially difficult to cope with the greed of veterinarians.

Food production in Russia is controlled by several departments at once - the Ministry of Agriculture, Rospotrebnadzor, Vetnadzor. Each of them makes its own amendments to laws, issues explanations and letters, which can easily contradict each other. For example, the veterinary station is trying to impose its own veterinarian on our staff, although according to the basic law we are not obliged to do this.

Enterprise economy

The initial capital of the enterprise was 800 thousand rubles of my personal savings. This money was used to rent premises (40 thousand per month), prepare it for the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor (180 thousand rubles), purchase equipment (refrigerators, tables, racks, packaging equipment - only 400 thousand rubles).

In the end, there was still not enough money, so we worked with the first wholesale customers on the basis of prepayment and pre-order: we received payment for a batch of goods, produced and only then shipped.

I rented a room for a workshop in the village of Enkolovo, Leningrad Region. More precisely, in the former general store. There was even an idea to work in a traditional hut, but the officials did not allow it. Enkolovo is conveniently located: relatively far from busy highways and large industries, while it is only 34 km from St. Petersburg.

Up to 70% of the cost of production falls on the cost of raw materials (meat in the cooking process loses 40% of its original weight). 30% is logistics, salaries and social benefits, salt, spices, equipment depreciation, taxes (we are on the simplified tax system).

We deliver orders to wholesalers at our own expense. Retail buyers formally pay for the services of EMS "Russian Post" - 300 rubles. In fact, the minimum cost of EMS delivery is 450 rubles from St. Petersburg to Moscow, to other cities - more. These 300 rubles are more likely a confirmation of the seriousness of the buyer's intentions. We are now implementing online payment and shipping will be free.

To understand: the cost of cooking a kilogram of dry-cured beef is about 1000 rubles, the retail price is 2200.

Retail prices for the products of the company "Vyalim Myaso"

Dried pork "Like Jamon" - 900 rubles per 0.5 kg.

Beef jerky "Filet mignon" - 1200 rubles per 0.5 kg.

Dried pork ham - 2300 rubles per 0.5 kg.

Salchichon (dry-cured sausage) - 1300 rubles per 0.5 kg.

We sell about half a ton of finished products per month. Initially, when calculating the concept, I imagined the balance of sales so-so: 40% - shops, 40% - HoReCa (restaurants, catering), 20% - retail. Today, orders from retail customers account for 10% of the total, the rest is B2B. Most of the sales (up to 90%) are for “Kak Jamon” jerky pork and Filet Mignon beef jerky. These are our main products, we are promoting them.

The goods are sold to shops and restaurants 20-50% cheaper than the retail price. How accurately depends on many factors: terms of payment, volume of purchases, willingness to wait for an order for several weeks. In addition, dry-cured pork neck (Coppa) is currently available only for wholesalers (900 rubles / kg).

We have not yet reached self-sufficiency, all profits are invested in development. We continue to purchase equipment - we need a more efficient vacuum sealer, a cutting machine. The packaging needs to be updated. I really need my own transport - I am just calculating the leasing costs for it.

Theoretically, we can make 1.5–2 tons of products per month, but we do not - there is no working capital for such volumes of production.

Farmers without acorns

My meat suppliers are farms from the Vladimir and Voronezh regions. I met them a long time ago, even before I started doing this business. I do not go personally to select products - I make a request for certain parts of the carcasses, if the farmer is ready to supply the required volume, we take it.

At the same time, I am looking for new suppliers so as not to be dependent. There is an opinion that in the Leningrad region there is little good - environmentally friendly - meat. This is a question of psychology - someone else's always seems better, in other areas the air is cleaner and the grass is greener.

There is enough high-quality meat in Russia, another question is that farms are not ready to provide a decent level of service. For example, I only need certain parts of the carcasses, and the farmers offer to take the whole carcasses, it is more convenient for them.

Not all meat is suitable for drying. Unacceptably high moisture content, otherwise the meat will dry out more. Grain-fed beef is better suited than mixed-feed beef. Pork carb should be proportioned to the thickness of the body fat and meat. In our latitudes, you cannot find pigs fed on acorns, so farmers achieve similar results using domestic raw materials - beets, apples, grain.

Sea salt is brought to us from Finland in 50 kg bags. Cost - 35 rubles. per kg. We use spices of Russian origin. These are mainly paprika, dried garlic, ground black pepper, thyme, rosemary and juniper berries.

Influencing factors

A distinctive feature of our business is that the production cycle takes at least 30 days. This is the time it takes for the meat to ripen. During the periods of the greatest excitement - such, for example, before the New Year - we ask customers to wait. The most loyal customers place an order well in advance and get good bonuses for it.

From my experience in the premium segment, I realized that it is impossible to force a client to purchase additional options and make money on it. You cannot announce the price of the goods, and then say: "This is for a kilogram of pork, which we will bring in two weeks, provided that you pay for the order today."

We set the maximum price for the product - and the client gets the best conditions. But if he wants to be cheaper, then we can postpone delivery for two weeks (10% discount), we can ask for an advance payment (another 10% discount), and so on.

I rethought many things in relationships with clients thanks to the advice of such a "whale of business" as Dmitry Kostygin (co-owner of Yulmart, Rive Gauche, Smiles of the Rainbow and other companies - editor's note)... He periodically reads lectures for employees of his companies - we met at one of them. The main thesis is that the loyalty program should not be a one-sided instrument, it is, first of all, an agreement on the terms of cooperation. That is, the client should not receive a discount for being just a client. It is necessary to agree with the client that he can receive special conditions of purchase only in response to certain actions on his part.

In addition, there is seasonality in our business - in the summer, customers move out of town, which means that we need to negotiate with stores in their area. For example, there is a summer cottage village, and in it there is a farm products store. In winter, there is no demand for our meat in this store, it appears with the arrival of the summer season. And vice versa, there is a store in a respectable area with which we cooperate - with the onset of the summer cottage, demand in it drops sharply, as customers move out of town.

Thoughts about the future

At the very beginning, I was inspired by the idea. I never doubted for a second that as soon as I launch the site, trading will begin immediately. In addition to rose-colored glasses, there was incorrect planning: I simply did not have enough money for advertising and important little things like packaging design. There was not enough money for the packaging itself either. Printing houses make individual packaging only in large quantities, which is expensive.

In the absence of a budget, we only gave advertising on Facebook - the effect of it remained indistinct. We are looking for clients for B2B personally - we contact shops and restaurants, offer our products. Alas, we are not yet able to work with the largest clients, since we are not able to provide the required volumes of products.

The project needs to be developed, and I see two ways. The first is slow development without attracting outside capital. The problem with this development is that we cannot start working with the largest wholesalers right now. The second is attracting investment and accelerated development, rapid market development, and access to retail chains. Naturally, the second method is preferable.

Again, the main challenge is the production cycle. We are unable to meet the growing demand promptly. In order to always have large stocks of finished goods, we do not have enough working capital. To enter a turnover capable of meeting demand, we need investments in the region of 5 million rubles. In general, I am ready to give 40% of the business to potential partners.

… I am very motivated by the books of Yitzhak Adizes and the series of programs "Gold Rush" on the Discovery TV channel. When you see how people work in Alaska, you understand that your problems are not such problems compared to the situation when the wheel fell off the only tractor, and the nearest settlement is 500 kilometers away.

As for the assortment, this year we are going to expand our product line with traditional prosciutto and bresaola (ripening period is about a year). In addition, we are preparing for release a new type of product - it has not yet been named - with salting in a marinade based on red wine. In the distant plans - the construction of your own smokehouse.

I will not dissemble, the sanctions have made a positive contribution to the development of business. The exchange rate also plays into our hands. Competitors who carry the so-called "sanctioning" rather depend on him. Russian meat is not much more expensive. But even if the sanctions are lifted tomorrow and oil will win back the fall, our prices will still be much lower than in Europe. We will not diversify business, but increase it, improving quality.

Due to mutual sanctions between the West and Russia, the supply of Jamon to Russia is prohibited, which only contributes to the popularity of Jamon and the development of its production in Russia.

Boris Akimov in the village of Knyazhevo, Pereslavsky District, Yaroslavl Region, began to produce "Yaroslavsky Hamon": own pigs, product aging - 8 months. According to the reviews of those who managed to taste it, the taste is even better than that of the Spanish Jamon.

The village of Knyazhevo is located north of Lake Plescheevo, about 19 km. from my dacha - you will need to go to visit Boris.

Here is an interesting product review on Boris Akimov's Facebook page:

Jamon is, after all, a kind of "cognac" - a product strictly standardized by the Spaniards. And what I see in the photo - it would be more correct and honest to call it "prosciutto". Hope it's good)). Because I personally like the good Balkan Prshut even more than the Spanish Serrano jamon, but we will not compare it with Iberica, because the original pig is not the same ;-).

Since I am going to grow in an ecopark, I decided to write down on this page the available information about Ham and the technology for producing Ham.

Here is information about Jamon from Wikipedia:

Serrano is a distinctive feature: a white pig, a jamon has a white hoof;
curado - aging for 7 months;
reserva - aging for 9 months;
bodega - aged 12 months;

Iberico is a distinctive feature: a black pig, a ham has a black hoof;
de cebo - made from pigs fed with fodder and acorns;
bellota - made from pigs fed on a pure acorn diet.

Jamon is commonly referred to as a product made from the hind legs of a pig, while the front legs are called pallets.

Preparation

Jamon is sprinkled with a lot of salt to speed up the dehydration process. The salting time depends on the weight of the foot and the climatic conditions of each area, but on average it is one day per kilogram of body weight.

Depending on the weight of the ham and the climatic conditions of the geographic area, the drying process takes 6 to 36 months. Drying usually begins in winter or early spring to take advantage of the slow and gradual increase in temperature until late summer.

In the fall, the ham is moved to the lower floors of the room, where it is kept for 9-12 months at a temperature of 8-10 ° C. This is where the drying process begins: under the influence of microflora, the meat acquires its characteristic structure, taste and aroma.

Maturation

After drying, the product is sent to the cellars, where it is classified by weight and quality. Based on this classification, the time required for each "leg" to "ripen" is determined, after which they are left to "ripen", still in limbo. At this stage, thanks to the microclimate of the cellars, the "legs" acquire their unique taste and aroma.

Try- this is the last test: with a thin long needle (made from the bone of a cow or horse), the experts make two or three holes in the ham to smell the aroma, indicating the completion of the drying stage.

Jamon is consumed cut into very thin slices; jamon slicing is a special art performed by a trained specialist - a cortador using a special tool.

The stand on which the Jamon is set for cutting is called Jamonera. The place where Jamon is served is called Jamoneria.

Slicing

Hamonera (Spanish: portajamones, soporte jamonero) is used for slicing Jamon - a special stand of the corresponding length.

According to culinary experts, the quality of slicing directly affects the organoleptic properties of Jamon, therefore Jamon is necessarily cut by hand using a Hamonera and a special knife. The mechanical cutting of the ham degrades its quality.

As a rule, the coasters are made of wood and are 45-50 cm long (may vary depending on the size of the pork leg) and 15-20 cm wide.

The sharp screw on the Hamonera's bracket is used to secure the leg with the hoof, and the other part is used to install the wider part of the Hamone.

By loosening the screw on the ring, you can flip the jamon to slice the meat from the opposite side.

The cutting takes place parallel to the leg fixed on the Hamonera. At the same time, in order to avoid injuries, the Jamon must be firmly fixed on the Hamonera without slipping, so that the leg is pressed against the stand in all directions and does not loosen.

When making an incision, the left hand is always above the operating hand with a knife (for a left-handed person, the rule is the opposite).

Place of production

Jamon is produced throughout Spain with the exception of the coast. Like Spanish wines, there is Denominación de Origen- a quality mark that guarantees that the ham is produced in a specific province in compliance with the same local standards (each province has its own).

Home storage

At home, Jamon is kept in a cool dry place (15-20 ° C). After cutting, use is allowed for five months, while the incision site is processed to prevent contact with air (covered with a cotton towel, lubricated with olive oil).

Here is some additional information about Jamon and a description of the technology for making Jamon at home:

Dry-cured delicacies are loved by everyone who does not shy away from meat. And, contrary to the opinion of the literary professor Preobrazhensky, they can still be useful.

However, the tastiest (and least harmful) foods like the Spanish Jamon are so expensive that you can only convince yourself that they are cholesterol through and through.

Or learn how to cook the same Jamon at home. Here is the probability of the successful implementation of this "hopeless enterprise" we will consider.

What it is

If we mention only the origin of meat and the general features of the process, then this is the name of dry-cured pork.

For the whole world, only the ham of an animal fits the definition, although the Spaniards make Jamon from the whole carcass... The second word specifies which part of it.

It is unlikely that Jamon will be cooked at home, especially in the realities of a city apartment.

The first problem is the lack of suitable raw materials. For Hamon, only the meat of Iberian animals is suitable, which are bred on the peninsula of the same name. Worse, pigs have to feed on a strict diet, almost all of which are acorns.

Not only that, acorns are required from cork oak. Of the rest of the animals, there will be no real delicacy - not the taste of meat.

Proceeding from this, Jamon at home becomes available only to a cattle breeder who has brought in the right breed of pigs, who has grown "correct" oaks and equipped the basement with special installations necessary for drying.

Delicacy production technology

It is noteworthy that the Spaniards make no secret of the cooking process of this dish. They have been making Jamon at home for centuries, not considering it a national treasure.

The industrial production of this delicacy has recently become. And it consists of the following stages.

1. Fat and simply "ugly" places are cut off from the ham; the leg itself is covered with a very large amount sea ​​salt and left for two weeks at a temperature not lower than zero and not higher than plus five.

2. The meat is washed, dried and hung up. It is dried in different factories from six months to a year. Initial temperature +7; gradually it rises smoothly, according to a certain schedule.

3. Ripening: occurs with strictly observed temperature and humidity, in the course of several months (up to one and a half years).

4. Removing the sample. A specialist, specially trained and versed in the shades of Hamon, pierces the ham with a needle and sniffs it.

As you can see, in order to cook Jamon at home, you will need not only special pigs, but also devices that can maintain the physical characteristics of the indoor air at the desired level.

Almost Jamon

However, you should not give up. If you like Jamon so much, a recipe at home will help you achieve the result that is as close to the original as possible. However, you still cannot do without a basement and an empty ventilated room (pantry or barn).

A completely authentic Jamon will still not work, unless you go to Iberia and buy the right pig, but only the very expert taster will notice the taste differences. So…

A 4-kg ham from a young pig is taken, cleaned of all excess, put into a free, large container and covered with a dozen kilograms of sea salt.

For at least four days (one day per kilo), the pelvis should stand in the dark and cool; occasionally it should be turned over for even salting.

Then the future Jamon at home is cleaned of adhering salt, washed and hung in the same place.

If possible, once a week the temperature rises by one degree. The delicacy should be dried for at least six months.

Fast Jamon

Its advantage will be that few townspeople will wither a whole leg, and even not cut, with bones. However, residents of megacities also love Jamon!

The recipe at home for them will be as follows: a loin is bought, rubbed with a mixture of salt and sugar (proportion 2 to 1), placed in a flat container (a large bowl, for example), pressed down with a load and placed in the refrigerator for three days.

In the morning and in the evening, the workpiece for Jamon is turned over at home, and the liquid is drained from it.

The meat is dried with napkins and rubbed with spices (at least the composition should include ground laurel with pepper, garlic and coriander).

Then the pork is wrapped in cheesecloth, pulled tight with a string and hung in the shade on the balcony. If the summer is hot, take it off for a day and hide it at the bottom of the refrigerator, and return it back in the evening.

Such a Jamon at home becomes edible already on the fourth day.... However, the drying time has a positive effect on the taste, so it is better to wait at least 2-3 weeks.

Culture of use

During the cooking process, pork loses very much in weight and moisture, so cutting it will require some effort.

In Spain, there is even a position of a cortador - a delicacy cutter (and this is always a strong man). However, Jamon at home is not so hard, so a woman can handle it.

The main thing is to master the thinnest possible slicing, this delicacy is not used in slices. And in order to prevent the incised edge from weathering, it is advised to grease it with ghee or fat.

To protect against insects, you can rub the Jamon with red pepper.

When withering, Jamon loses about a third of its initial weight.

The price of a Spanish Jamon in Barcelona is 8-9 euros / kg. Serrano and 20 - 30 EUR / kg. Iberica. The price of the Kuban Hamon in the Kuban is 999 rubles / kg, and the price of a dried Goose is 2490 rubles / kg, that is, 2.5 times higher - make your own conclusions ...

Personally, I will try to master the production of both the Yaroslavl Hamon and the dried Goose - and then I will determine what makes sense to produce for sale, and what mainly for myself.

Here are two photos showing the process of slicing the Jamon:

A special stand called Hamonera is easy to make from wood with your own hands. To get the thinnest possible cut of Jamon, you need to use a special long narrow sharp knife and train more often :-)) The main thing is not to get so fat that you have to change all your clothes!

I invite everyone to speak out in

Kublog went to the Tabris supermarket in Krasnodar to buy real Spanish ham (dry-cured pork ham). About what kind of jamon was found on the counters of "Tabris" - photo report Boris Maltsev... How the main Spanish delicacy is made - a story Juana Carlos a.

In Russia, jamon is a rather expensive product, and its consumption is not a tradition (we are increasingly specialized in lard). However, in Spain, jamon is one of the main heroes of the national menu.

Juan Carlos Escudero told Cublog what to look for when buying a ham:

“The whole ham leg is shrouded in fat. When you start slicing, this layer of fat must be removed.
If there are a lot of requests for slicing and it happens continuously, then everything is in order with the ham. When no one cuts off the jamon within 30 minutes, the fat that was cut off from the top must be put in place so that the jamon does not dry out. When the next customer arrives, the fat is removed and the fresh ham is sliced ​​again.

Be sure to cut off the fat that is on the left and right sides of the ham, because it gives the ham weight. But this is not jamon, but fat. The client cannot weigh it.

In Tabris, where the ham is sold, it should also be covered with a “lid”. But all the jamon that I saw in Tabris were dry. The customer who buys it is not eating a real jamon, he is eating a dry jamon. He also has a very salty jamon, because when the meat dries out, it becomes saltier.
The next client must either arrive 10 minutes after the first, or receive a dry ham. Conclusion: all Tabris customers buy dry and salted jamon.

In general, the jamon themselves in Tabris are good, but very expensive. In terms of price, it is one in six compared to the Spanish price, and maybe even more.

Boris Maltsev, who went to photograph the ham in the Tabris supermarket in Krasnodar, spoke about how it happened:

“I visited two supermarkets: Tabris on Stavropolskaya-213 and Tabris on Stavropolskaya-222. In the first of them the price is indicated for 100 grams, in the second - for a kilogram.

In the store on Stavropolskaya-213 (formerly the Volna store), they refused to cut me the ham, they said, buy the cut previously. I left.

In "Tabris", which is located in the area of ​​the University, they kindly agreed to cut it, but when I began to take pictures, a quite friendly guard came and tried to quite kindly prohibit the filming. But we kindly agreed not to be with him.

The jamon had fat cut off on the sides (that is, the excess was not weighed), but it is really stored without a film and is not covered with a special “lid” made of fat. The meat on top is really dry and different in color from the inside. "

Continuation of the story of Juan Carlos Escudero - about how they cooked jamon in the old days and how they do it today:

“Jamon is a tradition that originated in Spanish villages and villages where they were farming and growing something in the fields. In order to cope with hard work, people need energetic food. She was jamon.

The pig was raised for a year or a year and a half, then slaughtered. So that the meat would not be wasted, they were looking for a way to preserve it.

In September-October, the pig was salted. Winter was beginning - the leg was hung out to dry. Before that, it was imperative to bleed this piece. Chorizo ​​and other dishes were made from blood (when a pig is killed, nothing is lost, everything is used completely).

And now the winter has passed, spring begins, the temperatures are changing. For example, in Teruel in winter it is very cold and dry, the temperature drops to -20 C. Accordingly, jamon is very well canned during this period. Then spring begins, it gets warmer, but the ham has already lost a lot of water and has dried up. Summer begins with intense heat. In order for the jamon to survive, it is coated with oil or fat, and it will be ready to eat in October, when a new pig is slaughtered and the next batch is made.

This is what our grandmothers did.

Now the same is done in an industrial way. Depending on the weight of the ham's leg, it is kept in salt for longer or less, then it moves from one chamber to another, maintaining the temperature and humidity corresponding to a certain season.

The Chinese really like jamon. They copy us, but they do not know the subtleties and technologies. They make it salty, because temperature, humidity and holding time are very important.

The grandmothers knew this so well that if it was too cold in winter, they brought the ham into the room. If it's too dry, they covered it with a blanket so that excess moisture would not evaporate.

There are two main types of Hamon - Serrano (white pig, Hamon White hoof) and more expensive Hamon Iberico (black pig, Hamona black hoof), it is also called "Pata Negro" - "black paw".
Iberico can be resebo (from pigs fed with plant food and acorns) and beyote (pigs on an exclusively acorn diet).

Jamon is also divided by location (like wine). For example, the famous Teruel jamon (which is not yet in Russia, but we will bring it) is also made from a white pig, but it is a mixture of two breeds - langras and durk. In the jamon lineup, it sits halfway between Serrano and Iberico. The difference is that it has a certain status in the place of origin and the aging period is longer. "

Bon Appetit everyone!

Reference:
Juan Carlos Escudero Regidor is a Spanish marketer and entrepreneur, organizer of the first International Seminar and Salon-Workshop "Spanish Stars", which will be held in Krasnodar from November 4 to 10, 2013.

Juan Carlos is the owner and manager of the marketing company MacArt Publicidad S.L. (www.macart-publicidad.com), he now works closely with Diluvia S.L. (www.diluvia.es). Also Juan Carlos is a co-owner of AZU NEVEX 2009 S.L. company, specializing in the sale of real estate, a co-owner of EDE S.L. company, which exports Spanish delicacies.