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When you think truffles, you must think Urbani. Welcome to URBANI TRUFFLES. You are about to explore the world of the truffle which is often referred to as the “food of kings” and is found naturally growing underground only in specific locations around the world. With its long history, the story of the truffle is a noble one that involves both Urbani products and, of course, our family.

There is conclusive historical evidence that during the Roman Empire the upper class enjoyed the truffle in many of their favorite dishes. It is a fact that Julius Caesar was so fond of their taste, and what he believed to be their medicinal and aphrodisiac powers, that he actually ate truffle dishes daily. Therefore, it is not much of a leap of logic to assume that on that infamous fateful day, the Ides of March, truffles were a part of the great man’s last meal.

The story of the Urbani Truffle Company and the Urbani family passion for the truffle begins during the middle ages with our ancestors gathering this delightful natural product of the earth, from the fertile mountain valleys of central Italy. This region which surrounds the city of Spoleto and the neighboring town of Scheggino is still our family’s home. We have recorded information dating from the 17th century that traces the Urbani family’s direct involvement in truffle harvesting and distribution through out Europe, a practice which has continued throughout the present day.

During the early years of the 20th century, a bright young man with an abundance of business savvy, our Uncle Carlo Urbani, was in a bind. It seems that during this particular truffle season the harvest was magnificent and the rare tuber was so plentiful that the market was flooded with excellent product. Carlo had been through many cycles of good seasons followed by weak seasons and realized that the next year the truffle might not be as bountiful. It is because of moments like these, that the world is changed. Uncle Carlo imagined saving some of the wonderful harvest for less plentiful years that might lie ahead and began to develop a way to preserve truffles by a pasteurized canning process. No one thought Uncle Carlo’s idea would work with the delicate “fruit of the earth” and there were many doubters. However, the young man had vision and continued to work long and hard striving to achieve just the right blend of moisture, truffle, vacuum pressure and heat. Uncle Carlo thought he had it right, but in the end, only time would tell when the newly canned truffles were finally opened and used.

As luck would have it, the next truffle season was poor and truffles were scarce except, of course, for the preserved truffles that Uncle Carlo had waiting in the root cellar of his casa. The time had come for him to take a can to the owner of the local restaurant. Uncle Carlo asked him to use the canned truffles and prepare a meal for invited gourmets whose distinguishing palates were accustomed only to the flavor of fresh truffles. The guests were astounded; the preserved product was almost as good as the day it came out of the ground. Carlo Urbani had done the impossible and his preserved truffles were a raging success.

The Europeans were especially hard hit by the political and economic challenges of the next 40 years. Through the two World Wars and the worldwide depression of the 1930’s, the natural cycle of good followed by weak truffle harvests continued. Yet, Uncle Carlo supported by the Urbani family persevered and continued to develop the preserved truffle business.

In 1946 preserved truffle products were introduced to the United States by our uncle, Paul Urbani. As a first generation American, Uncle Paul proudly served in the US Army as a Master Sergeant. Upon discharge, Uncle Paul contacted his family in Italy. He had an idea and wanted to bring truffles into American kitchens. He worked long and hard for many years to develop a successful business importing Urbani family product lines. Uncle Paul sold both fresh and preserved truffle products to the finest chefs, hotels and restaurants in America during the next six decades. Uncle Paul saw his efforts rewarded when he was finally able to place Urbani products in the White House by providing truffles for President Richard Nixon’s Inaugural Dinner. This practice was continued by President George Bush, Sr. who served Urbani truffles at state dinners where they were used to entertain the world’s most powerful heads of state. The Urbani family likes to think that our truffles helped make those historic dinners more successful than they otherwise would have been. Thanks to Uncle Paul, Urbani was established as the leading truffle company in the USA.

From the roots of hunter-gathers, a small cottage industry has developed into a worldwide processing and distribution corporation. Urbani Truffles, still located in our ancestral home of Scheggino in the province of Umbria, is currently responsible for processing and distributing over 80% of the world’s quality truffle products; the other 20% just does not meet our high standards.

We, the present Urbani generation, owe a great deal of thanks to our ancestors and are grateful for the legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation for hundreds of years. Now, it is up to the next generation to “steer the ship” into the 21st century. To facilitate this effort, the family in both America and Italy has formed a new corporation, URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd.

URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd. developed a new business plan and overall corporate strategy that takes advantage of our family’s past successes, but defines the future in much broader marketing terms. Among the many goals we have set for URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd. is state- of-the-art supply chain management and aggressive marketing. These two elements have come together to allow the firm to conquer new market areas in a less costly manner. To achieve these goals, we are working with established high quality food distributors. These distributors offer existing infrastructure and capabilities which have taken many years and significant capital to develop. In addition, these companies were selected as they currently distribute in areas where URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd. has an existing or targeted customer base.

The mission of URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd. is to closely manage the supply chain from the source, our family in Italy, through to the end consumer in restaurants and stores. The new company is staffed solely by Urbani family members who possess skills and experiences that compliment and enhance this strategy. Through employment of this business plan we will broaden the market penetration of our products, assure an uninterrupted supply of quality products and lower the cost to the customer.

URBANI TRUFFLES USA Ltd. is under the direction of CEO Lee Urbani who brings extensive business experience to the new company. Joining Lee are his sons, Executive Chefs Christian and Peter, as well as, his wife Dawn and his sister Gina. And, oh yes, Uncle Paul as Senior Advisor, after all he’s only 94!