THE FINEST ITALIAN PRODUCTS ON EARTH!
I have been traveling to Italy and cooking and eating Italian food for 45 years. Never have I seen a company with such dedication to supporting the small producers of Italy. These are the true Slow Food producers of Italy. Gustiamo’s dedication since 1999 to supporting the small exquisite producers of Italy has totally changed what’s available in the USA from Italy.
Take Faella pasta as an example. This pasta which is made in Gragnano, the capital of southern Italian pasta making, uses 100% Italian semolina, mountain water from above the town, and then dries the pasta for two days instead of one hour as most commercial producers do, thereby making it more digestible. And don’t forget the bronze dies which impart a coarse texture which grabs the sauce as it passes over the pasta.
Look at Maida, a producer of amazing pantry items from southern Campania, the region containing Naples, as another example of this dedication. When looking at their products, from peppers, to artichokes to their vegetable antipasto, you can't find a single preservative in the ingredient list. Every ingredient is listed as a percentage of the whole, and every ingredient is natural and good for your body. Not even citric acid is used to preserve the veggies!
Gustiamo’s pesto producer as well as their San Marzano tomato grower were both featured on the Stanley Tucci series filmed in Italy. The former in Liguria, the latter in Campania! They simply find the best stuff!
Beatrice, the owner of Gustiamo, has spent her career curating the most impressive batch of Italian products, as well as relationships with the producers, to push back against the many imposters riding the wave of Italian popularity who bring in substandard products to trusting consumers. So caveat emptor unless you are buying her products, as they clearly provide the most authentic taste of Italy I have ever experienced in this country!
Stefano