Fresh and quality beef directly from the mountain pastures to the front door. In portioned and vacuum-packed cuts, ready for cooking. To have made it possible is the e-commerce Pascol, a startup in the food-tech field founded in July 2019 by two under 30s from Sondrio, graduates in management from the Catholic University of Milan: Federico Romeri, 25, and Nicolò Lenoci, 26 years.
The model that Pascol was partly inspired by is the US startup ButcherBox, which has meanwhile grown to become one of the best meat delivery services in the US, according to Forbes.com. With the difference, not least, that ButcherBox’s meat is frozen, while Pascol’s is fresh, cut at the time of order and delivered with refrigerated delivery no later than three working days. The meat can then be stored in the refrigerator for up to a maximum of seven more days.
“Bringing genuine and quality meat from certain sources to the Italian table” is one of Pascol’s goals, explains Romeri to Forbes.it, together with the “enhancement of the territory and sustainable farms”. Those who buy on Pascol can learn all about the breeding of origin of each single cut purchased, and by June 2021 all information will be certified with blockchain technology.
About forty suppliers selected by Pascol from Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Breeders who have between 30 and 200 animals each. The control of quality standards is entrusted to a zootechnician with a degree in veterinary medicine who verifies compliance with the internal regulations which farmers who want to sell on e-commerce choose to adhere to.
The specification, already presented to Mipaaf (Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies) and which will be certified by the end of the year, provides, in particular: extensive or semi-extensive farming with pasture and / or pasture; feeding mainly grass and hay with the integration of non-GMO certified raw materials; animal welfare certification (with the CReNBA method and values above 70/100).
It can be bought on Pascol from all over Italy: half of the market is Lombard, with the Milanese hinterland leading, but orders already come from the most important cities in Italy, such as Rome and Naples, as well as from unpredictable locations that , thanks to their online presence and search engines, they have self-aware of Pascol’s existence.
The team is young: in fact, six other people work with Romeri and Lenoci for an average age of 25 years. In addition, thanks to two rounds of capital increases in its first year and a half of life, Pascol raised € 310,000 from private investors, including the professor with whom Romeri carried out his degree thesis, who believed in his project.
In addition to the cuts of beef, on Pascol you can also find, in perfect Valtellinese tradition, bresaole and slinzeghe (without chemical additives for preservation or dyes) and the ragù from the Sapori di Montagna company in Morbegno.
