After the vegan and the Bio, Milan is also given to raw food. In fact, the pastry and ice cream parlor arrives in the Lombard capital Raw Raw Chocolate, which after conquering Rome and Turin is trying to establish itself as a brand even in the most innovative city in Italy, known for its passion for healthy eating. “In reality – explains Nicola Salvi, founder and administrator of Grezzo, who launched his bet in 2014 – Milan is still behind Rome and Turin on the raw food market. Precisely for this reason we aim a lot, also to consolidate the company and represent our strength in a city of European level”.
What is the offer of Grezzo Raw Chocolate? “It's very simple: the raw materials are 100% vegan and 100% organic, to begin with, therefore gluten-free and lactose-free, and then we process everything at very low temperatures, maximum 42 °C, keeping the nutritional properties intact of the chocolate and other products used". Cocoa therefore, compared to the traditional method, is not roasted. The chocolatiers contest this approach, but Salvi is sure: “Research carried out by several American universities have shown that the level of anti-oxidants in raw chocolate is five times higher than that of chocolate processed at high temperatures. And this also applies to the other raw materials used”.
Raw materials that are not all made in Italy, come from every corner of the world but with a non-negotiable rule: “These are exclusively vegetable and certified organic products. Cocoa, for example, comes from South America, while where possible we use Italian products, such as hazelnuts from the Viterbo area or Sicilian almonds”. The ultimate goal is a tasty and healthy product: “We believe that being able to make desserts with vegetable ingredients makes them more sustainable for our body, without however making them any less tasty. Let's say that we offer a pleasurable but guilt-free experience. The intent is to light a fuse of awareness to explain the fundamental importance that proper nutrition has on the quality of life. For example, we use little sugar and strictly unrefined: only natural, like coconut."
An awareness that in recent years has somehow turned on, with an increase in supporters of a vegetarian or vegan diet, however in part denied by recent data (Ismea Observatory) according to which in 2018 the consumption of red meat in Italy has returned to the maximum level of the last six years. “The truth – replies Salvi – is that in Italy there is still a lot of misinformation about food. 90% of people admit the importance of proper nutrition, but only 50% eat at least one portion of vegetables a day. People still don't quite understand what it means to eat healthily. This is why offers like ours are important”.
The Milanese shop, third in Italy, it opened in the Isola area, a cool district a few steps from the Bosco Verticale and offers, like the other Grezzos, a minimal design motivated "by the need to put all the attention on the act of tasting, without distractions". Nicola Salvi's bet therefore seems to have won: by now thousands of consumers, also thanks to e-commerce, are discovering a way to eat sweets without impacting the environment and health. And the founder relaunches his ambitions: "The goal is to continue with our expansion aiming at internationalization".
