La Quercia (pronounced La Kwair-cha) was founded by Herb and Kathy Eckhouse more than a decade ago, and today it is one of the leading producers of artisan American cured meats. Based outside of Des Moines, Iowa, they prioritize sustainability in sourcing, operations, and packaging as well as for their people. Started to create premium quality American prosciutto, La Quercia then applied what they learned to other cuts of pork. Their appreciation for cured meats grew out of the three and a half years Herb and Kathy lived in Parma, Italy, prosciutto's area of origin. There they saw how the careful treatment of fine materials resulted in an accessible, sublime, and entirely regional cuisine. La Quercia's ambition to create prosciutto came from their desire to take the bounty that surrounds them in Iowa to its highest expression. They seek to contribute to the growth of premium artisan-made American foods by offering unique dry cured meats of the finest quality. All of La Quercia's products are made from non-confinement pork raised humanely without antibiotics.