Precise Meat Processing – TRE SPADE Professional Butcher Knives at GAMMO

2026. 10. 15.

In meat processing, the right knife is much more than just another tool. It affects cutting precision, the appearance of meat cuts, processing efficiency and working comfort.
Different knife designs are needed for precise work along bones, cutting meat into portions and slicing larger cuts of meat.

That is why GAMMO has expanded its range with a new product category: Italian FACEM-TRE SPADE butcher knives, offering models designed for a variety of meat-processing tasks.

More than 130 years of Italian manufacturing experience

The history of TRE SPADE dates back to 1894. The brand's roots lie in the Fratelli Bertoldo business, founded in Forno Canavese in Piedmont, which initially manufactured, among other things, woodworking tools, kitchen utensils and garden tools. The emblem depicting three crossed swords appeared on one of the company's early coffee grinders in the 1890s.

In the early 20th century, the company expanded beyond coffee grinders into other products for household and kitchen use. FACEM was established in 1938, continuing the TRE SPADE brand and its manufacturing traditions. Over time, the company broadened its range beyond manual tools to include meat-processing machines, sausage stuffers, tomato passers and vacuum packaging machines.

A key feature of the brand's development has been its ability to adapt to users' needs by introducing new technologies and product categories while maintaining its traditional mechanical solutions.
TRE SPADE remains a FACEM brand today, offering food-processing equipment and kitchen tools backed by Italian manufacturing expertise.

Butcher knives: the right design for every task

The development of butcher knives is closely linked to the increasing specialisation of meat processing. Blades of different sizes and shapes have played an important role in traditional butchery for centuries. In modern professional practice, task-specific design, ease of handling and efficient operation have become increasingly important.

No single knife is ideal for every meat-processing task. Blade length, shape and flexibility, as well as the nature of the work, all matter when choosing the right tool.

Which knife is used for which task?

• Boning knife: Its narrow, easy-to-control blade helps with cutting along bones, working around joints and separating meat precisely. It is particularly useful in butcher shops and during meat preparation.
• Straight butcher knife: Suitable for general cutting and preparation tasks. Choosing the right blade length makes it a practical option for processing both smaller cuts and larger pieces of meat.
• Curved butcher knife: Its shape supports drawing cuts through meat and certain butchering operations. Its precise application depends on the blade design and the task being performed.
• Sticking knife: Its narrow, pointed blade is designed for precise, targeted cuts. The intended use of the knife and safe working practices must always determine the task for which it is used.
• Butcher's cleaver: Its robust, heavier construction is intended for cutting tasks that require greater force. When working with bones, it must only be used in accordance with the cleaver's intended purpose.
• Honing steel: An important accessory for maintaining a properly cared-for cutting edge. Regular honing helps maintain the edge's condition; it is not the same as sharpening, which removes material from the blade.

The official TRE SPADE knife range includes boning, skinning and butcher knives, cleavers, honing steels and knife sheaths. The GAMMO range also includes straight and curved butcher knives, a narrow boning knife, a sticking knife, a butcher's cleaver, a honing steel and a roll-up knife holder.

Useful beyond traditional butcher shops

Professional butcher knives have a much wider range of applications than conventional work in butcher shops alone.

• Food service: Meat preparation, portioning and processing different cuts in restaurants, hotels and commercial kitchens.
• Butcher shops and meat-processing workshops: Cutting, boning, trimming and preparing meat cuts for sale.
• Small-scale and home meat processing: Traditional home slaughtering, preparing bacon and other cuts of meat, and carrying out preparatory work for sausage-making and other preservation methods.
• Well-equipped home kitchens: Processing larger cuts of meat when a task-specific tool is more suitable than a conventional kitchen knife.

Alongside choosing the right knife, hygiene and maintenance are essential. Knives should be cleaned and dried after use in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, their cutting edges should be checked regularly, and the blades should be protected during storage. Proper cleaning between processing stages and the prevention of cross-contamination are equally indispensable in meat processing.

A long-standing partnership, another step forward

The cooperation between GAMMO and FACEM-TRE SPADE began around 2011–2012. Initially, the range focused mainly on manual sausage stuffers, meat grinders and their accessories, followed by TAKAJE vacuum packaging machines and mobile food dehydrators. The range was later expanded to include the complete line of food mills and their accessories.

Positive experiences and feedback, together with sustained customer interest, helped FACEM-TRE SPADE products become a significant part of GAMMO's portfolio in a relatively short time.
Building on this long-standing and successful partnership, the entire range of TRE SPADE knives has now been added to GAMMO's product offering.

Our goal remains unchanged: to offer tools that provide real support in everyday work – whether in professional meat processing, food service or a well-equipped home kitchen.

Discover the new products in the GAMMO online shop!