Home > Company > History

The history of our Balsamic Vinegar Plant

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is a product that has its origins so far back in the past as to prompt some enthusiasts of Modenese tradition and heritage to say that “it has always existed”. Folklore tales recount that during the Middle Ages, it was tradition, in the residencies of local noble families, for the bride’s family to offer up a “Balsamic Vinegar Set” as part of the dowry to the bridegroom’s family, since it was believed that the vinegar had mysterious and beneficial properties (the set was a collection of differently veneered and different sized casks, crucial for the ageing of the balsamic vinegar).

According to historical tradition, the Carandini family was one of the oldest Houses of the city of Modena, having been present in the area from the early Middle Ages (around the 11th century). The Estense Library of Modena houses some rare documents in its archives, with written and pictorial evidence showing how, during the “Modena Agricultural Show” of 1863, Carlo Carandini exhibited a 360 year-old balsamic vinegar. Since then the Carandini family has passed down from father to son the traditional methods of producing balsamic vinegar, which have remained unchanged over the years and still today represent the acknowledged standard for the production of this fine, exclusive product.

Steeped in centuries of history and love for balsamic vinegar, the Carandini family has over the years found ways of improving and refining its techniques to the point of becoming what it is today – a modern and established name in the world of balsamic vinegar production, with an outstandingly important role in international markets. The undisputed strength of the company is the fact that the balsamic vinegar produced today by Emilio Carandini along with his daughter Silvia and sons Giovanni and Luca still depends on those precious, age-old methods inherited from Carlo Carandini and uphold the basic principles fundamental to the original product.