Gli orti di Anguillara introduces a new recipe made using fresh broccoli and selected ingredients. FreshPlaza talked about it with Fabio Trivellone, who established the company and came up with the recipe together with partners Simona Pittolo, Armenio Morlupi and Alessandro Valdarchi.
Fabio Trivellone, co-owner of "Gli orti di Anguillara"
"Orti di Anguillara" was set up in 2010 by a group of friends from the Anguillara Sabazia (Rome) area, the home of broccoli. "It's a uniquely delicate type of vegetable thanks to the mild climate and volcanic soil 200 m asl." The company aims at promoting the local territory and cuisine through products with broccoli, which were even recognised as Prodotto Tipico della Regione Lazio in 2005.
"We grow broccoli employing traditional methods on approximately 6 hectares, using seeds we have been treasuring and reproducing for over 40 years. In Anguillara Sabazia, there are currently 600 hectares of broccoli fields. The local soil and weather conditions favour this type of crop, which can reach a yield per hectare of around 8/10 tons. We spent one year performing studies and tests to create an ideal recipe, which is brand new and versatile as well as appreciated by consumers who care about genuine products."
"Our motto is 'cultivating tradition', because we want to develop new recipes respecting our origins while ensuring the professionalism and high-quality of our productions. In addition to the classic garlic and chili pepper recipe, there are also the au naturel, spicy anchovy or pumpkin and truffle and fennel options."
Sowing, varieties and cultivation methods
Broccoli are part of the brassica family. They are sown by hand in open fields between September and November.
There are two types of seeds depending on the harvesting time - early (quarantino, cinquantino and sessantino) and late (novantino, centoventino, centoquarantino, marzatico and aprilatico). The former are self-reproduced using seeds that are over 50 years old. The flavour is sweet with a cauliflower aftertaste.
Fabio Trivellone, Armenio Morlupi and Alessandro Valdarchi.
Broccoli are cultivated mainly in winter: sowing is carried out in late September and the first shoots appear already after three weeks. Harvesting is carried out by hand cutting the plant 10-20 cm from the ground and starts a few days later continuing until April. The best produce is usually available between November and February.
Processing
"The objective is to make broccoli available not only between October and May, but also during the rest of the year. Our recipe is a registered trademark (Crema di Broccoletti®) and, thanks to the support of a partner specialising in organic production and processing, we have drafted a specification."
"The raw material is harvested early in the morning and processed on the same day. After being stewed and cooked, the product is placed in jars and pasteurised at 90°C. We harvest and process around 150 kg of raw material on average over two days. In 2017, we produced approximately 15,000 180 ml jars and expect to reach the figure of 25,000 in 2018."
Reference markets and new projects
"Our company aims at producing high-quality products for the niche market. We don't want to penalise our quality just for lower production costs. Our products are available in specialised shops, wine bars, food distributors, shops, farms and specialised retailers."
"The www.ortianguillara.it website is currently being renewed as it will be available in multiple languages and updated with our new recipes, products and events. We want it to be dynamic and always active. We can ship our products worldwide."
The company is looking to achieve three objectives in the near future: renew the packaging and make products known abroad as well.
"Our spreads are already available in Japan, the Arab Emirates, Holland and France and negotiations on exports to Canada and the US are already underway. We would also like to obtain the PDO mark. It's an ambitious project and involves the entire territory. It will take some time but we are set on it."
Contacts:
Gli ORTI di Anguillara
Via dei Grassi, snc
00061 - Anguillara Sabazia (RM)
Cell.: (+39) 335 5783656
Cell.: (+39) 328 9521476
Emal: info@ortianguillara.it
Web: www.ortianguillara.it
Contacts:
Gli ORTI di Anguillara
Via dei Grassi, snc
00061 - Anguillara Sabazia (RM)
Cell.: (+39) 335 5783656
Cell.: (+39) 328 9521476
Emal: info@ortianguillara.it
Web: www.ortianguillara.it