Raw Materials

Nature offers treasures rich in history and flavors, carrying essential nutrients for our bodies. To make our products unique, we have chosen unconventional plant-based raw materials with high nutritional profiles, that carry the stories of wonderful countries and cultures. In the spirit of cultural connectivity and exploration, we have chosen to process the raw materialsin Italy, using our finest Italian skills, passion and craftmanship.

The plantain is our primary raw material, endowed with incredible exotic charm. We process it when it’s still green, meaning it hasn’t yet developed sugars inside, to fully exploit both its nutritional properties and its versatility.

THE HISTORY
The plantain is a fruit of the Musae family, originating from the Malayan archipelago, where it appeared before 2000 BC. Primarily grown in Southeast Asia, it immediately began to show its great value both as food and medicine for the populations that integrated it into their culture. The first historical traces date back to 850 BC when it appears in the Ramayana, an important Indian epic poem in Sanskrit, and in the magnificent Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Central Java, where stone sculptures offered the fruit to the god.
In 327 BC, the victorious armies of Alexander the Great described its cultivation in the lower part of the Indus Valley in India, while in southern China, writings dating back to the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) mention that the cultivation of bananas and plantains has been practiced for more than 2000 years.
European merchants and naturalists brought news of the tree to Europe via the Silk Road in the 3rd century BC, but it was only brought there in 650 AD with the Arab conquest of the Mediterranean.
Due to the climate, it was never cultivated in Europe except in the southwestern areas of Spain and the Canary Islands. From the Mediterranean, the cultivation of plantains and bananas successfully spread in African plantations before arriving in the New World thanks to the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus and Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. In Central and South America, this fruit found an incredibly favorable climate where it gave life to the highest quality varieties and became immensely important both nutritionally and culturally for most local populations.

CULTURAL FACTORS
In Indian culture, the continuous regrowth of the banana symbolizes fertility and prosperity, so both the fruit and leaves are common gifts and used as ornaments during wedding ceremonies. In Chinese rice fields, a banana is often planted in a corner to attract luck. In Malaysia, the leaves are ritually used in ablutions performed by women for two weeks after childbirth.
The Musaceae have been so appreciated in Europe that they have been used as ornamental plants since the 1st century when Pliny the Elder spoke of them in his Natural History, laying the groundwork for their scientific name (‘the Muse that walks in Paradise, is behind the tree eaten by the wise’).
The plantain has historically been used in folk medicine to treat rheumatism, inflammations, ulcers, colds, and bronchitis.

The plane tree has historically been used in popular medicine to treat rheumatism, inflammation and ulcers, colds and bronchitis.

NATURAL PROPERTIES
The predominant nutritional component consists of fibers and carbohydrates, mainly composed of starches, polysaccharides used by plants to store the energy they need. This structural feature makes the plantain an excellent sponge for collecting essential micronutrients and being versatile as a base for preparing both sweet and savory dishes.
The total percentage of resistant starches is very high in the plantain, giving it remarkable nutritional properties for the bacterial flora, directly effecting inflammatory cycles and controlling pathogenic microorganisms in the body (immune system), causing cell degenerations.
Cholesterol-free, with negligible fat content and a low glycemic index, plantain has a high-profile nutritional base with a wide range of polyfunctional micronutrients.
Certified international studies have revealed a plethora of health benefits of the green plantain:
– Rebalancing liver functionality.
– Positive effects on kidney and liver emunctories.
– Strengthening the immune system.
– Supporting the cardiovascular system.
– Counteracting the effects of sodium on the body and regulating blood pressure.
– Protecting and healing ulcers and ulcerative lesions of the mucous membrane.
– Accelerating metabolism.
– Curative hypoglycemic action in metabolic syndrome.
– Positive effects on the lipid metabolism.
– Satisfies hunger and naturally suppresses appetite
– Nutritious benefits for the eyes and skin.
– Rebalancing the gut in case of diarrhea.
– Antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticancer properties due to the presence of flavonoids such as catechins, epicatechins, and anthocyanins.

Discover Sweet Potato, Cassava and Red Beetroot

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