The terroir
of Abruzzo is the link from the past to the present. From the rugged Majella Mountains,
the Gran Sasso, Abruzzo national parks and ancient medieval villages, we bring
you these products, made with centuries of tradition.
We
specifically import exceptional award winning organic cheese, which is made by our
family in the small mountain village of Anversa degli Abruzzi, population 300. We also import other products from the same
village and area, such as, extra virgin olive oil from 1000 year old orchards,
savory mountain honey and the saffron of L'Aquila.All of these products are EU certified
organic and are made by small family producers.
The farm
was established in the mid seventies with a few hundred Sopravissana sheep by our
cousin Nunzio Marcelli and Manuela Cozzi. Their desire was to preserve a way of life
that had existed in Abruzzo for thousands of years, but was in danger of
disappearing. It grew from very humble beginnings and today is a sustainable
Agriturismo farm, which just received an award from the Italian government as
an "Organic Village"
Today, Nunzio
Marcelli and Elettra Rinaldi continue to pioneer this sustainable model of
farming. The cheese that they produce has won many Slow Food awards in Italy
and is considered to be the finest example of the cheese of Abruzzo. Additionally,
they pioneered an "Adopt a Sheep" project that was featured in the New York Times Sunday
magazine in 2000 and have received frequent praise from the European community
for their efforts.
The olive
oil is from trees which grow at the highest elevation possible, were planted by
Benedictine monks in 1463. The producer is a fourth generation artisan who,
along with his family, is planning on the restoration of the original building
where the oil was pressed.
The
Zafferano di L'Aquila is considered to be the
finest example of saffron in the world. Our producer, the Santilli family,
cultivates this DOP saffron in a small Abruzzo mountain village.
The honey
comes from two producers whose bees never leave the area. The beekeepers of
Abruzzo have been fortunate and have not experienced the decimation of their
hives, as has happened in so many parts of the world. Their savory honey is
intense and full of flavor.
One of the
overriding factors that contribute to the quality of these products is the
location. Anversa degli Abruzzi is located in the center of two of the largest National
Parks in Italy and is also a World Wildlife Federation site. In these pristine
surroundings, with the rugged mountains and micro climates, over 125 wild herbs
and flowers have been identified.
So the
sheep, the bees, the olives and the plants all flourish in these beautiful
surroundings. These are products that otherwise would not be available outside
of this small region. Our mission is to bring these flavors, the terroir of the
small village of our family, here to you in America.
The
earthquake that devastated L'Aquila, where many perished, not
only destroyed this beautiful and historic city, but also destroyed the markets
where most of our small producers sold their products.