Anversa degli Abruzzi, Italy
We are the Marcelli Family; a family made up of Chefs and Specialty Food Industry professionals. We embrace and celebrate the culinary treasures of our ancestral home in Abruzzo. It’s an area of pristine and unspoiled beauty, where one third of the region is comprised of National Parks and called “The Green Heart of Europe”
We specifically import exceptional award winning organic cheese, which is made by our ancestral family in the small mountain village of Anversadegli Abruzzi, population 300. We also import other specialty products from the same village and area, such as, extra virgin olive oil from 1000 year old orchards, savory mountain honey, pasta and the saffron of L'Aquila. All of these products are EU certified organic and are made by small family producers.
These are not just products placed in bags, bottles and jars. They are products that come from small families who embrace and celebrate centuries of tradition. Ancient knowledge, hard work and dedication, craft these gifts of pastures, fields and orchar
ds.
The farm was established in the 1970's with a few hundred Sopravissana sheep by our cousin Nunzio Marcelli and Manuela Cozzi. Their desire was to preserve a way of life that had existed in Abruzzo for thousands of years, but was in danger of disappearing. It grew from very humble beginnings and today is a sustainable Agriturismo farm, which just received an award from the Italian government as an "Organic Village."
Today, the Marcelli Family continues to pioneer this sustainable model of farming. The cheese that they produce has won many Slow Food awards in Italy and is considered to be the finest example of the cheese of Abruzzo. Additionally, they pioneered an "Adopt a Sheep" project that has received frequent praise from the European community and is a mission that the US Marcelli’s have brought stateside.
The olive oil is from trees which grow at the highest elevation possible, and were planted by Benedictine monks in 1463. The producer is a 4th generation artisan who, along with his family, is planning on the restoration of the original building where the oil was pressed.
The Zafferano di L'Aquila is considered to be the finest example of saffron in the world. Our producer, the Santilli family, cultivates this DOP saffron in a small Abruzzo mountain village.
The honey comes from a family producer whose bees never leave the area. The beekeepers of Abruzzo have been fortunate and have not experienced the decimation of their hives, as has happened in so many parts of the world. Their savory honey is intense and full of flavor.
One of the overriding factors that contribute to the quality of these products is the location. Anversadegli Abruzzi is located in the center of two of the largest National Parks in Italy and is also a World Wildlife Federation site. In these pristine surroundings, with the rugged mountains and micro climates, over 125 wild herbs and flowers have been identified.
So the sheep, the bees, the olives and the plants all flourish in these beautiful surroundings. These are products that otherwise would not be available outside of this small region. Our mission is to bring these flavors, the terroir of the small village of our family, here to you in America.
