Frequently Asked Questions

No. Einkorn is a type of wheat, which contains gluten. However, since einkorn is the only wheat that’s never been hybridized, it’s gluten remains weak, unlike modern wheat, which makes it easier to digest. Einkorn is not safe for those with celiac disease, but many people with a gluten sensitivity are able to enjoy einkorn. Learn more here

We suggest checking out our baking tips and our recipes written specifically for einkorn wheat. Our recipes take the properties of einkorn into consideration for the best results. You can find our baking tips here.

Weaker gluten and higher mineral content make for a denser crumb; einkorn gluten breaks rather than stretches.

Our einkorn is one of the highest-quality ancient wheat flours available. Einkorn has never been hybridized for modern farming and the yield on einkorn is considerably less than that of modern wheat. Another reason the yield is smaller is because we grow it organically. We never treat it with pesticides or chemicals. In fact, it is certified USDA Organic and certified free from glyphosate residue by The Detox Project.

Our whole wheat/whole grain flour is just our organic einkorn wheat berries ground into flour. Our AP (all-purpose) flour is the whole grain flour with a portion of the bran and germ removed so it's a little lighter and finer than our whole grain flour. It is also our most popular einkorn product. Our traditional pastas, cookies and crackers are made from the AP flour. Our whole wheat pasta is made from our whole wheat flour.

Fermentation takes patience but we are happy to help! Check out our sourdough FAQ here. And our sourdough videos here.

Gluten free pasta should not be cooked or treated the same as semolina pasta.  There are a few tips that will assure the best results and performance:

• Always cook in abundant water and minimize stirring to prevent breakage. 
• Traditionally cooked pasta is ‘al dente’ or ‘to the tooth’ which may be slightly undercooked for some; taste testing is the only way to be sure if it is cooked to your preferred doneness.
• After draining, serve immediately after tossing lightly in sauce. 
• Do not over sauce pasta or allow the pasta to sit in cooking liquid. It will continue to absorb liquid even after it is finished cooking, resulting in softer, delicate pasta that may break when stirred.

We grow our rice in Italy.  Our brown rice pastas are made with brown rice and water.  We set our own limits at 10mcg per 100g.  This is the standard we found on the World Health Organization, and we have maintained below that level. Arsenic is water-soluble so when you cook pasta, about 50% of the amount in the dry product ends up on the cooked, the rest is rinsed away with water. It is best to cook rice in abundant water.

Our cassava pasta is made from just cassava/yucca with no fillers. Our cassava pasta is made from organic cassava root flour that has been heat treated to negate any chance of presence of cyanogenic glycosides.

A bronze die is the ultimate pasta-making tool, a mold used in traditional Italian noodle cutting and shaping for centuries. Today, pasta factories normally use dies made of Teflon® because they are easier to work with. We use traditional bronze dies, which help to form a coarser surface on the pasta during extrusion. A coarser surface will absorb your favorite sauce better after being cooked.

Whole rice grains are soaked for 48 hours, they are then steamed, rolled like oatmeal, dried at low temperatures and milled into flour. The flour is mixed with water to form a very dry dough, then it is extruded through bronze dies to create the shape.

After being harvest from the fields they are scanned for debris from or cracked beans. Then they are soaked overnight, rinsed, added to sanitized jars, water is added (and for some of our beans lemon juice and/or sea salt), the lids are sanitized and close the jars, then each jar is cooked in batches in a gigantic pressure cooker. Learn more.

We suggest refrigeration after opening and then using within 5 days.  They are shelf stable before opening, but like any canned or jarred foods, once opened they should be refrigerated.

Rinsing is optional; they are packed in the cooking liquid and can be eaten right out of the jar, or rinsed-your preference.

Our tomatoes are steamed to remove the skin, but they do contain seeds. Small bits of the skin may also remain.

Our jovial tomatoes are not sauce; they are just the freshly harvested naturally sweet tomatoes packed within a day of harvest, just like you would do at home with nothing added! Any of the three cuts can be used to make a delicious pasta or pizza sauce at home with a little onion, some garlic, herbs and olive oil. Here is one of our simple and delicious recipes.

We suggest refrigerating any unused portion and using within 5-7 days.

We only use the ripest Roma type plum tomatoes available. They are not from San Marzano.

Typically, all products display a BEST BEFORE DATE not the date it was manufactured. Our oil indicates the bottling date plus two years which is the BEST BEFORE DATE. The harvest is always in the fall and the oil is always pressed at harvest time. Our olio nuovo is oil that is bottled at harvest. All other bottlings of oil for the year are blended at bottling time and will show a bottling date plus two years as a best by date.

Yes, our oil is filtered. Since our olive oil is certified organic, we use a pure biodegradable cellulose material to filter sediment.

Our farms and press are located near the shores of Lake Garda just north of Verona in the northeast part of Italy where the olives ripen slowly and develop amazing flavor.

We share these details on each yearly harvest after analysis, but the polyphenol count of our reserve blend is always very high and usually above 400 ppm. The acidity remains below 4%. You can read about our most recent harvest here.

No, our products are made at specialized, smaller producers that are close to the source and farms where the products are grown or harvested. We have a close working relationship with all of our partners.

We partner with small producers for our raw ingredients so that these farmers can concentrate on what they do best -growing organic foods. We visit often and have a presence at all our production facilities and consider many of these farmers and food artisans like family.

No. Please find the Detox Project certification on most of our products proving that they have tested free of glyphosate. Italy has very strong regulations on the use of pesticides and in particular glyphosate. Our products are certified organic by QAI and non-GMO. Visit the Detox Project to read more.

The Detox Project provides independent certification, after rigorous testing, that a product is free of glyphosate.

They are 100% biodegradable and made from a gluten free grain called sorghum. It can be composted or added to recycling and will fully break down when wet. We do not recommend trying to dispose of in sinks or tubs.

We are proud to run our Connecticut office and warehouse on solar power. Our products are all grown without pesticides and honoring the old ways and heirloom varieties to protect biodiversity, soil and water quality. We are also proud to package our products in recycled paper with compostable cellulose 'windows' as well as glass which is easily recyclable in all municipalities and can be reused for zero waste.