Nelli's Journal
A Night That Honoured Maltese Craft
From our quiet curing room in Gozo to the bustling stage at Ta’ Qali, we recently stepped out of the kitchen to represent the future of local, artisanal food. Here is how a tiny, nose-to-tail passion project caught the eye of the public and the judges alike, and what it means for the next chapter of Nelli’s Ċarkuterija.
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On the 26th of June, we packed up and headed down to the MANI Centre at the Malta Crafts Village for the Premju Ġieħ l-Artiġjanat Malti ceremony. If you follow our journey, you know our days are usually defined by the kitchen's rhythm such as monitoring humidity, checking pH, and waiting weeks for a batch to tell us it’s ready.
Stepping into a room filled with Malta’s finest weavers, ceramicists, and independent producers was a beautiful change of pace. It was a moment to pause, look back at the grease and grit that got us here, and feel deeply grateful.
The evening started with an inspiring address by Elton, the Vice Chairman of Malta Crafts, reminding everyone why independent local craftsmanship matters. But what followed left us a bit speechless.
We are incredibly proud to share that Nelli’s took home three major recognitions:
Runner-Up for Artisanal Products in the Premju Ġieħ l-Artiġjanat Malti 2025
The People’s Choice Award within the Food and Beverage sector
The Award for Emerging Makers presented directly to Max
The People’s Choice Award hits closest to home. That one came directly from you. Seeing a nose-to-tail, zero-waste project like ours resonate with the community on that level means everything.
Nelli’s started purely from curiosity and a deep respect for local ingredients, like the natural Xwejni sea salt we use. For Max, it began with years of solitary trial and error.
Words from Max
"When you’re deep in this line of work, you spend a lot of time working through every part of the product and sometimes, some things work, others don't. You tweak a spice blend, you adjust the air velocity in the chamber, you wait three months, and sometimes it still isn’t perfect. You have to be okay with failing, adjusting, and trying again.
Receiving the Emerging Maker award has been incredibly encouraging. To me, being a modern maker in Malta means respecting our ancient Mediterranean traditions while exploring how they can continue to live and evolve through our climate and local ingredients. This award doesn’t mean the work gets easier, but it’s a massive nod that the late nights and the obsessive attention to detail are leading us somewhere meaningful."
Curing with Patience
Awards are a beautiful milestone, but they don't change the daily grind. The day after the ceremony, we were right back in our aprons, checking on the current line of cured meats, and processing the next batch. There are no shortcuts in traditional curing, and honestly, we wouldn’t want them anyway. Every batch still teaches us something new.
A massive congratulations to all the fellow artisans, finalists, and winners who inspire us to keep pushing quality boundaries. And a huge thank you to Malta Crafts for creating a space where independent producers are seen.
We’re heading into the rest of the season with a bit more wind in our sails and a massive fire to keep showing what Maltese produce can become when it's given time, care, and craft.
Salute,
