Bionaturae (bee-oh-na-too-ray) is a family-owned organic company located in Italy. It translates to mean “organic nature.”
We’ve tested their gluten-free pasta as well as their spreads, organic tomato sauce (in glass jars), balsamic vinegars, olive oils, and nectars. Each product we tested conveyed life on an Italian organic farm. The products are pure. You simply taste the subtle flavors of food just as it is should be, as nature intended, and nothing else. It was a pleasant surprise.
The organic tomato sauce tasted as if we had pureed the finest, perfectly ripe tomatoes. We created lasagna sauce and a soup and added it to a fish stock. All were superb. I could go on and on about the products, but the story behind the company, of the three brothers who founded it, is what I feel comes across in each bite.
In 1983, three brothers purchased a farm in Tuscany, committing to organic farming. It was named Fattoria Terra Rossa, “Farm of the Red Soil,” for its rich soil.
At that time organic was not popular in Italy. They were ridiculed for not spraying for insects. The first year was rough, but they eventually learned successful organic farming methods. At the same time, they experimented with old family recipes, leading to sugar-free organic fruit products, which made use of fruit concentrates as the only sweetener. 1989 marked the opening of their official processing facility. They later founded a pasta factory and perfected their own recipes, making friends with locals inviting other organic farmers to press their olives into oil as well.
In 1991, Bionaturae was trademarked. The company remained committed to their organic line and co-operative methods with local farmers, not falling prey to the industrial methods which were sweeping across Italy. Staying true to their passion to remain organic, pure, and traditional, they wanted to offer their products to North America and in 1995 formed a partnership with a husband and wife team in order to do so. Since then, the cooperatives these three brothers have formed in Italy are grand. Many farmers are in remote hillsides, bordering natural reserves with trees up to 300 years in age.
After a year of research and development, they introduced their gluten-free pasta again made with only all-organic ingredients and rice flour, rice starch, potato starch and soy flour. They suggest cooking it “al dente” and say it needs no rinsing. They are right!
The gluten-free products are authorized by the Italian Ministry of Health and the factory also tests for presence of gluten in each step of the process and before leaving Italy. Again, the products are tested in a lab in the U.S. before any distribution takes place in the country.
If you haven’t been to Italy, bring it to your home by enjoying Bionaturae’s products and GF pasta. We did!
Article Courtesy: Tina Turbin
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