Speciality-Food-June-2025

PARTNER CONTENT CRAFTED WITH LOVE Fine food shoppers are hungry for better, and Emilia’s Crafted Pasta is ready to deliver everyday and fine dining occasions – offering exceptional quality at an accessible price point. Quality-conscious foodies will appreciate the pasta’s porous texture – a result of the bronze dies used in its production – thanks to its ability to hold onto sauces unlike poorer quality varieties. What’s more, its 9-18 hour drying period results in an easier-to-digest product which appeals to shoppers looking to boost their gut health. Emilia’s carefully crafted philosophy doesn’t end there; its 100% recyclable packaging is both beautifully designed and rustic, making it an eye-catching addition to fine food retailers’ shelves. For further information contact: becky@emiliaspasta.com W ith inspiration hailing from Italy’s gastronomic heartland – Emilia Romagna – Emilia’s Crafted Pasta offers something truly authentic to discerning fine food lovers. Having honed the craft of pasta making in the region, founder AndrewMacleod was inspired to bring the Italian values of real food made with love to the UK market, and the resulting range has consumers hungry for more. Made in small batches by a family-run pasta workshop in the small Italian hill town of Gragnano, using techniques that larger-scale production simply cannot replicate, Emilia’s pasta contains 100% Italian durumwheat sourced from local farms, ensuring optimum traceability, quality and craftsmanship from grain to plate. Indeed, Emilia’s pastas are so authentic that they are PGI- certified, meaning that retailers and consumers alike can be confident of their no-holds-barred quality. This accreditation is a mark of trust from the Gragnano Consortium, whose strict production criteria are at the heart of Emilia’s Crafted Pasta’s ethos. The range is perfectly curated to please 2025’s shopper; the three-strong selection of bronze die slow-dried pastas includes Bucatini, Casarecce and Rigatoni and is designed to suit both specialityfoodmagazine.com carb-heavy indulgence, good quality pasta offers health benefits as well as comfort. “In 2025 shoppers are seekingmore from their pasta choices than ever before, says Sally, “and health is a top priority, with consumers gravitating toward options like wholewheat, high fibre and high-protein pasta.” There’s a growing appetite for products based around legumes rather than the traditional durum wheat, particularly from shoppers keen to enjoy the taste and texture of pasta but wanting to up their protein levels or avoid gluten. “Legume-based varieties made from chickpeas, lentils, or peas continue to grow in popularity, especially among those following gluten-free diets or looking to boost their protein intake,” explains Sally. “There’s also rising curiosity aroundmore unusual bases like chestnut, spelt, or even seaweed-infused pasta. This interest isn’t solely driven by dietary needs; it reflects a broader desire for variety and experimentation. “Clean labels are also critical, shoppers want minimal ingredients, no additives, and full transparency frombrands. At Garofalo we have just launched in Italy, soon to be coming to the UK, a high protein, high fibre pasta with no additives thanks to a groundbreaking productionmethod using only the heart of the wheat.” While health is a key factor in today’s consumers’ purchasing choices, that’s not to say that they’re happy to forgo inspirational meal ideas; fine food retailers would be well placed to position recipe cards in their pasta and rice sections, alongside other suitable products, to offer customers a one-stop-shop for a great pasta or rice-basedmeal inminutes. This POS also provides a chance for retailers to tell the stories of the products on their shelves. “Beyond nutrition, consumers are looking for inspiration,” agrees Sally. “They want pasta to feel exciting again, turning to brands and retailers for pairing ideas, creative recipe suggestions and content that introduces new shapes, sauces and cooking techniques. Social media, food influencers and strong brand storytelling play a crucial role in guiding these choices and encouraging experimentation. Whether it’s exploring a unique pasta shape or discovering a regional Italian speciality, today’s shopper wants more than just ameal – they want an experience.” How to stock better The language used around better quality pasta and rice will be familiar to fine food retailers – provenance and traditional skills reign supreme. “Nothing has changed here, fine food retailers should be looking for several key indicators when it comes to sourcing and stocking quality pasta, starting with the ingredient list,” says Sally. “High-quality wheat pasta should be made from 100% durumwheat semolina with a high protein content of 13% or above, which contributes to an al dente texture and the best cooking performance.” “For both pasta and rice, provenance and process are key indicators of quality,” explains Sophie. “Retailers should seek out products made fromhigh-quality raw ingredients – like Suma’s bronze-die cut pastamade with Italian durum wheat or traditionally grown rice varieties.” Clarity around production is also appreciated by conscientious shoppers,says Sally. “The production method is critical. Bronze drawn pasta gives the rough surface that helps sauces cling better. Slow drying at low temperatures is another important factor, as it preserves the flavour and structure of the pasta. Garofalo pasta is both bronze drawn and slowly dried to keep the structure and prevent breakages. We wrap or pasta in transparent packaging inspired by the philosophy that there is nothing to hide and everything to share, and high-quality pasta is beautiful to look at!” “Transparency in sourcing, certifications (Organic, Fairtrade, etc.), and environmental credentials are increasingly important to consumers,” concludes Sophie. “And of course, the story behind the product – its heritage, method of production, and the people whomake it and their working conditions – can be a real point of difference in the fine food sector. We call it food done fairly.” A TASTE OF THE FUTURE Al Overton, UK advisor for IBIS Rice, explains how the brand is helping the category move towards a sustainable future for farmers IBIS Rice is a conservation project based in Northern Cambodia growing heritage rice and creating a sustainable future for small-scale farmers while protecting threatened forests and endangered wildlife. Each pack of IBIS Rice sold has a measurable impact for both farmers and wildlife, is proving that a different food system is possible and that it does not need to cost more for customers. IBIS farmers grow a heritage variety of long grain rice known locally as Phka Rumdoul, which has been voted best rice in the world six times at the International Rice Forum. It is a once-a-year crop, grown with the seasonal flooding from the monsoon, which means no artificial irrigation or the accompanying methane emissions and significant pesticide use that comes from intensive rice cultivation. This low impact growing method together with avoided deforestation means a net saving of 250g of carbon dioxide per kg of rice sold through. The product development for its range started at the soil. By having their farmers intercrop with beans before and after the rice season, it regenerates soil health and supports the food chain of the forest ecosystem from the ground up. It also means that their farmers have three commercial crops a year, rather than just one, further improving farmers’ livelihoods and giving greater climate resilience. It then adds extra nutrition for IBIS Rice customers in additional plant-based protein in their rice cakes. It is a win, win, win for wildlife, farmers and customers, which is possible when a brand operates from paddy to plate and has a 360 view of their product impact.