Natalino Dall’Ava began his career in 1955 at one of the first industrial ham factories owned by the Muraro family in Sossano, Italy. He quickly earned their trust and was sent to San Daniele del Friuli to oversee the construction and launch of one of the first industrial ham factories in the area. In 1982, he founded the DOK Dall’Ava ham factory in San Daniele, which is now considered one of the world’s leading ham factories. In 1988, he created the world’s first Prosciutteria, where ham became the centerpiece of meals, accompanied by homemade pasta, vegetables, and sweets.

In 2005, DOK Dall’Ava, like most family-run businesses in the Triveneto region, had to deal with the generational transition, which was completed when Carlo, Natalino’s son, took over the company. Carlo’s enthusiasm led to the construction of a new ham factory, which opened in 2007 and produces around 30,000 San Daniele PDO hams marked with the consortium’s number 10. The company focuses on quality rather than increasing production and plans to continue research in that area. In the future, the company aims to have its own free-range pig farm.