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 In the early 1930's, on the island of Corsica, just off the coast of Northern Italy, Alessio Spinabelli was a hard working shoe cobbler. He made some of the finest leather boots for high ranking state officials. One day, as an acknowledgement of his shoemaking talents, the Mayor, the Priest, and the Teacher in the town of Ortiporio, invited Alessio to dinner at the Mayor's residence. The wine was good, the meal was fair, but the antipasto was "terrible!" as Alessio boldly told all three men. Naturally, they all took offense and demanded to know how a shoemaker would know anything about the art of making salumi. Alessio being from Parma, Italy, the area known for its mastery in the fine art of dry-curing products, told these men, "Next fall, I will come and kill your three pigs with my own men, I will make and supervise all products, and by Easter you will be sampling real Salami and later, Prosciutto." So the challenge was made, and the three men who happened to be the most influential people in the town did their part of Alessio's request and he set to work creating his own Salumi and Prosciutto. Needless to say, the following Spring there was an entourage of people wanting to sample Alessio, the shoemaker's products. The minute the Mayor, the Priest, and the Teacher tried Alessio's products, they proclaimed he must open his own Salumificio. All three pitched in, one supplied the place, one supplied the license, and the Priest helped with finding the funds. And so, the Spinabelli tradition of making fine Italian specialty meats was born. 

During World War II, Alessio and his family had to flee Corsica. The family was separated for a while, Alessio and his wife, Rina, made it to Pittsburgh in 1949. They settled in the Strip District of Pittsburgh and started working two to three jobs each. Late at night, they would make sausage products to take to different restaurants during the day. Luckily, in 1954, their sons, Luigi and Lodovico Spinabelli, were able to come to Pittsburgh. The family continued making products and selling to various places. Luigi was determined to make the family business work here in America and all together they created Parma Sausage Products, which was established in 1954 and Incorporated in 1962. Luigi had the vision and the willpower to work the long, hard hours to establish Parma Sausage in the culinary world. 

In the 1980's, Luigi's daughter, Rina, along with her husband, John Edwards, began learning the family trade and continued to grow the business. Staying true to technique, traditions and family recipes, Rina and John led the third generation of family members at Parma Sausage. Introducing new products that were not always "Italian" and showcasing new production skill sets, they mastered the arts of the dry curing process and offered many new and exciting products that have become staples to this day. While growing the business, they grew their own family, having three beloved children, Amy, Erin, and Jacob Edwards. As with the previous generations, the family business was never pushed onto the next generation, instead all three children jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the family legacy.