Our Story

José Coutinho, with over 35 years’ experience producing artisan salumi, founded San José Smallgoods in 2006. Originally from Portugal, José migrated to Australia at the age of 18 and would work for over 17 years as a smallgoods Production Manager before setting out on a life-long dream of owning his own business & becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated smallgoods producers.

At the core of San José philosophy is an absolute passion for producing uniquely exceptional products and José’s staunch refusal to compromise on quality. José uses fresh pork, exclusively from South Australian farmers, including totally free-range paddock roaming, female heritage Black Pigs. The pork is then de-boned, trimmed, salted, spiced, cured and matured on the San José premises, all by hand and never leaving the watchful eye of José.

The range of salumi and embutidos is inspired by the flavours of Italy, Spain and Portugal where José pulls inspiration from his childhood food memories. The result of this craftsmanship together with the use of fresh local produce is an authentic artisan product. Jose melds together unique ‘from scratch’ flavours with traditional ‘slow’ techniques used for centuries in Western European food preservation, without the need for artificial flavours, preservatives and fillers. The result of this dedication is reflected in the taste of José’s multi- award winning range of products. Jamon, Prosciutto, Aged Chorizo, Sopressa, Saucisson Sec, Pancetta, Osso Collo, Lombo and Bresaola are just some examples of the award winning range giving San José Smallgoods a reputation as one of the leading artisan salumi producers in Australia.