MODENA – Founded in 1605 in Modena, the “Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Giuseppe Giusti” is the oldest balsamic vinegar producer in the world. Today the historic a cetaia is run with passion and innovative enthusiasm by the 17th generation of the family : Claudio Stefani Giusti proudly continues a business born over 400 years ago.

A constantly evolving centuries-old knowledge , a devout research of excellence and a young entrepreneurial vision – based on flexibility, sustainability and enhancement of the territory – have made Acetaia Giusti an international reference for top quality gastronomic “Made in Italy”.

Acetaia Giusti: a profound history In Italy, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena has always been synonymous with culture and history. The first evidence of its production dates back to Roman times. It was during the Renaissance though that it conquered a place of honor at the table of European aristocracy, becoming known as the “ Black Gold of Modena ”, the elixir of kings and princes.

The Balsamic Vinegar recipe has always been part of Modenese family heritage, handed down orally from generation to generation for centuries, its precious casks intimately preserved high in attics. It has been more than 400 years since the ancestors of the Giusti Family set the first collection of casks in the attic of their house in Modena. Since then, each of the 17th generations passed on to the next one the knowledge, sensibility, and passion essential for the production of an excellent Balsamic Vinegar.

In 1863, during the Modena Agrarian Exhibition, Giuseppe Giusti established and put into writing what are still considered the golden rules for obtaining the “perfect balsamic vinegar of Modena”: the selection of grapes, the quality of the casks, and – of course – the time . This passage represented a turning point in the history of the product: the balsamic vinegar of Modena was no longer a family secret; it became a well-known ambassador of the Modena culinary tradition.

During the Belle Époque Acetaia Giusti asserted its value throughout Europe, thanks to the World Expos, where the Giusti balsamic vinegar of Modena was awarded with 14 gold medals – still depicted on the products’ labels – and in 1929 it became the official supplier of the Royal House of Savoy, by choice of King Vittorio Emanuele III.