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 Sottolestelle
itself produces part of the raw materials used in its
workshops. Our farm and workshops are located at the bottom
end of the Gargano area, in the open country, surrounded by
olive and almond groves and vast fields of cereals. The choice
of raw goods is fundamental for the production of wholesome,
natural foods: all certified, all organic.
Sottolestelle
takes its name from the way we perceive man, from the belief
that man’s purpose under the star-studded sky is to complete
his life’s mission: to fulfil himself. Man fulfils and
elevate himself according to the times and manner in which
each of us manages to relate to our fellow man, to all
living creatures, to the Earth and to the entire Cosmos.
Respect for the planet’s biodiversity becomes a primary need.
The
activity in our workshops is based on a deep respect for all
creatures, and a belief in the sacredness of the food we
produce. The decision to use ancient cereal grain varieties,
such as Kamut® and Spelt, the research into forgotten ancient
varieties of durum wheat becomes of primary importance for us,
as our culture plants its roots in the old peasant culture.
We
produce our own traditional pasta, the kind of pasta that
according to our peasant culture was traditionally made in the
home using flour produced by the farmer himself; our
traditional pasta has the typical texture of homemade pasta.
For
our baked products we prefer to use only extra-virgin olive
oil from the Gargano area, which is cold pressed, has low
acidity levels and a low peroxide number. We personally
control the production both on our farm and on a neighbouring
farm which supplies us with oil.
Continual
research and experimentation have led us to use essential oils
as the element to combat common phenomena in the production of
organic foods. One of the main problems for producers of baked
organic products is the oxidation of the fats which leads to
the products growing rancid in a short space of time.
Oxidation is a natural phenomenon that conventional producers
use chemicals to prevent. We don’t use any chemicals at all
but we try to eliminate the causes that provoke this
phenomenon by using cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil with
low acidity levels and a low peroxide number, pure
organic essential oils and packaging which protects the
product from harmful sunlight and heat. 
The
only rising agent we use is sourdough, and in fact it
couldn’t be anything else: in the country you just know and
feel certain things. Products made with sourdough, besides
emanating an unmistakable fragrance, are more digestible, have
a longer shelf life, are certainly tastier and more wholesome
than breads
made with other rising agents. Our bread is just like the
bread which until recently was made at home with sourdough -
it remained fresh for 15-20 days and it kept perfectly without
the use of artificial means until the "new bread"
was made. Bread made with brewer’s yeast needs to be thrown
out the next day!
We
use non-hydrogenated organic vegetable margarine. This
margarine is obtained from sunflower seeds which are cold
pressed and then a solid fat, palm seeds and water are added.
This margarine is natural, it is produced without any chemical
processes and it has a low cholesterol content.
All
Sottolestelle products, apart from the wheat line, are
distributed in Italy by San.Ri.
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