"Guanciale artigianale di suino di cinta senese DOP kg 1 circa Quantità Prezzo: € 17,00"
http://www.hqf.it/cinta-senese-biologico-dop
This guanciale described above is from an artisinal producer in the country where poor folks invented the process of preserving pig cheeks. This particular maker is producing guanciale with the meat of the black and white Cinta Senese heritage breed, endangered pig from Tuscany. The Cinta Senese pig has been named to the Slow Food Foundation For Biodiversity's "Ark Of Taste": http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/pagine/eng/arca/dettaglio.lasso?-id=307&-nz=&-tp= It is certified D.O.P., Denominazione di Origine Protetta. This is the highest quality certification issued by the Italian government. This mark indicates the product is produced to the highest standard of Italian tradition in every detail. It represents the very finest expression of the food culture of Italy. At the current exchange rate €1 = $1.43, this extra special "real deal" guanciale costs $11.02 per pound.
Now... Marlow and Daughters' skinny-jeaned "macellai" take upstate pig cheeks and "house-cure" them in a musty Williamsburg basement and charge $32 PER POUND!! €49.78 PER KG!! It is certified 100% hipster.
Something is NOT right, here.
Even if you were to import this product from Italy at the stated RETAIL price, add shipping, duty, broker fees etc. you would still have a long way to go to move from €17,00/kg to €49.78!!!!
One of Marlow's closest competitors, Dickson's Farmstand Meats (Chelsea Market), with an identical dedication and ethos sell house-cured guanciale for $16/lb., €24.89 per kg. High, but much, MUCH fairer.
I for one, am totally down with the Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan, Carlo Petrini, industrial-food-is-artificially-inexpensive-real-food-should-cost-more ethos but, for this movement to be successful and affect a greater impact on the issues it reports to support, this food needs to be available to more NOT fewer. And, the ethos needs to be respected and expanded NOT EXPLOITED.
There is such a thing as a premium and then there's A PREMIUM. The luxury esthetics here are not dissimilar from a Gucci boutique. The main difference being, the Gucci boutique is significantly cheaper!
You do the math. read more