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Unfortunately, the death of her son, which occurred at the age of three, blocked the generational renewal projects and now for Dolores Valentini, who has passed 70 years -53 of which she spent in the family business- it is time to sell witness of the guide of the oldest chocolate factory in Romagna, the “Dolciaria Rocca” of Rocca San Casciano, a company with 80 years of history.
Give in to whom? Nothing has been decided, since the company of sweets and strictly artisan products and ‘zero km’ is for sale. Valentini herself revealed it during the Facebook column ‘Do Ciacri’, the videos that Vincenzo Bongiorno dedicates to his country of origin, Rocca San Casciano, telling the stories of the country, its characters and its traditions, with the aim of bringing out the dense network of sociability that hides behind the Montone valley community, attesting to its quality of life and trying to attract new residents.
VIDEO – The history of the old chocolate factory
Unfortunately, there is a sad fact behind this epilogue: the death of Stefano Giambi from a serious illness on February 16, 2017. Giambi was 40 years old, a director and partner of the company and ready to inaugurate a third generation of “Dolciaria Rocca “. , after his grandfather and mother, to lead the company firmly in the 21st century and its most advanced dynamics. “He was proud of his factory,” recalls Dolores. More than three years after Stefano’s death, the time has come for his mother to pull the oars on the boat, albeit slowly, but with the desire to put the company in good hands, which has up to 7- 8 temporary employees. at peak times of work (holidays), their environments, their machinery and their loyal customers with important orders.
Dolores Valentini herself told the story of the first chocolate factory in Romagna, speaking of the courage of her father Domenico Valentini who started in 1940 the production of ice cream to sell at town festivals and on the street, starting from a basement and machinery used. taken at a bankruptcy auction in Bologna. There was a war going on, and soon afterwards bombs were falling from the sky and partisan fighting was raging house to house in the Apennines of Romagna. Then the end of the conflict and the economic boom, with Dolciaria Rocca that expanded, until settling in its current factory in 1966 and a turnover that touched all of Italy. It was Domenico himself who made the deliveries with his van across the trunk, as the company reached peaks of 50 seasonal employees. “We still have my father Domenico’s recipes, tested over the decades, handwritten with his calligraphy, notes from when he closed in the laboratory to test,” explains his daughter Dolores Valentini.
“Many new customers have been found through the Internet,” explains the owner of the activity in recent years, which confirms the presence of a consolidated billing even if it is relaunched with new strengths and resources. The company has its traditional products that are sold at retail in the company store, including Easter eggs, cremini and candied orange peel covered in dark chocolate. And now we are looking for someone to take the reins of a company that has seen its founder visit every day, until his death at 86 years old.
