In an increasingly crowded charcuterie aisle, Coro Foods is carving out space by leaning into creativity, unexpected flavors and values-driven collaborations.
Its latest move – a limited-time chimichurri salami developed with spice company Dalkin & Co – blends category disruption with heritage storytelling and retail experimentation.
The LTO, sold in Coro’s five-ounce piccolo sticks, is inspired by Coro’s founders’ Argentinian roots and Dalkin & Co’s signature seasoning. It marks the first official collaboration for the Seattle-based salumi maker, and one that Director of Marketing and Product Development Jamie Kamal says felt like a natural fit.
“Dalkin was kind of a natural fit for us for a lot of reasons. They also value quality and are really also focused on the social piece of food and gathering,” she said.
The alignment between the two wasn’t just philosophical. Chimichurri, a bright, herby Argentine staple, immediately stood out as the right launch flavor for Coro.
“No one’s really doing anything like that out in the market either. So, we’re super excited about it. This one just came out bold and garlicky and herby. And so it was felt like it was going to be a home run off the bat,” Kamal said.
Making ‘specialty’ salami feel modern
The decision to release the LTO in Coro’s piccolo format was also intentional.
“With our sticks, they just feel a little bit more specialty occasion” while displaying “nicely on [charcuterie] boards,” Kamal said.
That positioning speaks to Coro’s broader mission: updating charcuterie for a new generation of consumers.
“We say we’re not another Genoa” Italian-dry cured sausage, Kamal said. “We have a flavor profile for someone who’s looking for something a little bit more classic. We do, but we do everything a little bit more modern. We’re excited to bring flavor profiles like lemongrass, our chipotle and cocoa, which is kind of based in more of a Mexican mole type of inspiration.”
The goal is to differentiate on taste, and create the kind of salami that sparks conversation at gatherings, she added.
Standing out on the shelf
Coro’s goal to pop in the category extends to packaging.
“If you have a couple of our SKUs lined up, you’re gonna see yellow, you’re gonna see green, you’re gonna see blue. And that’s just not typically what you would see in the category,” Kamal explained.
Coro also uses packaging real estate to emphasize attributes consumers increasingly expect.
“In the area that we’re playing in, a lot of those at this point are really table stakes,” which includes all-natural, no added nitrates or nitrites and domestically produced (in Washington state), Kamal said.
Collaboration as growth play
The chimichurri salami is part of a broader push into partnerships and creative activations.
Earlier this year, Coro teamed with Molly Baz’s AO Mayo on a sandwich tour pop-up. Now, with Dalkin & Co, the company is testing how cross-brand collaborations can extend reach and drive trial.
While the product is available mainly online and in specialty shops, Coro isn’t limiting itself to small-scale distribution. The brand recently rolled out nationwide at Publix, debuting a charcuterie trio – a major milestone that positions the company for broader retail expansion, Kamal said.
LTO also could inform future permanent offerings, she added.
Looking ahead: Salami as a snack
For Kamal, the collaboration isn’t just about one product launch but about pushing the category forward.
“Charcuterie in the past has been a little uninspiring, which is why we’re here,” she said. “We continue to see salami being used in different ways. In the past, people were looking at it very much as a deli staple item. Now you talk about things like ‘girl dinner,’” where salami can be seen as a satisfying snack and a staple for social occasions, she said.
