It seems fitting that our first newsletter should extend some much-deserved recognition to the work of Duchy Charcuterie and its owner/operator, Marc Dennis. We say this because of the incredible consistency with which Duchy Charcuterie products have received glowing reviews, and endless accolades, including in our own Summer of Charcuterie reviews over the years.
2022 was no different, with Duchy delivering multiple products, all in the rosette-winning categories, representing the high regard in which our panelists have held them, year in, year out. This achievement made Duchy Charcuterie the top-rated producer across the entire event, with more products being marked higher than any other single producer. Further still, the Duchy Coppa was the single highest-marked individual product in the 2022 event.
All of these accomplishments are only more impressive when one considers the small-scale, owner-operated business that Duchy Charcuterie actually is. It is Marc’s dedication, hard work, and endless working hours that have resulted in such a range of products, with phenomenal quality and consistency. The excellent standards of Duchy help to set a true benchmark by which other producers can seek to judge their own products and progress.
Like so many other independent producers, the pandemic proved an incredible challenge for Marc and Duchy Charcuterie. With wholesale, restaurant, and shop orders coming to an overnight halt during lockdowns, there was a need to modernize through a pivot toward web-based retail sales. We are sure the gradual return to normality has been a relief, but the hospitality sector continues to face incredible challenges, with the significant rise in working hours and the complexity that has come with suddenly needing to fulfill far more small orders and fewer large ones being most keenly felt by independent producers such as Marc and Duchy Charcuterie. We applaud them for the standards and quality they have maintained in such stormy waters for the industry as a whole, not only maintaining the high standards they had set for themselves but continuing to innovate as producers of such exceptional goods.
Check out the Ducky Charcuterie web shop to see and sample for yourselves the excellent produce coming out of Marc’s Cornish operation, and rest assured of the care and dedication that has gone in to guarantee the products you receive are some of the very best available. Well done to Marc Dennis and Duchy Charcuterie for undoubtedly being the 2022 Summer of Charcuterie’s top producer!
