We are the first European producer of rice, we produce almost 1.300 tons on 220.000 hectares, more than 50 percent of what is grown in Europe. The turnover is consistent, exceeding one billion euros and comes from the activity of 4,100 farms that employ around 10.000 people.
We are first manufacturers and also first exporters since only 35 percent is consumed in Italy while the other 65 percent goes abroad. In short, our rice is liked not only by the Italians, who eat 6 kilos of it each year, but also abroad. But if we move from the comforting production figures to those concerning the Italian market, the situation appears less rosy. For years, Italian rice cultivation, high quality rice cultivation, as export data attests, has had to suffer the onslaught of oriental rices, especially those from Cambodia, the Republic of Myanmar and Vietnam thanks to the "Everything but Arms" programme. A solidarity plan launched by the EU in 2009, the result of the best intentions, which, to help Asian countries penalized in their development by disastrous economies or victims of corrupt dictatorial policies, has liberalized the imports of many products, including rice. The intentions were commendable, the results far from it: our markets have been flooded with tons and tons of rice which, produced at eastern costs, (in more than one case by multinationals operating locally) has dealt a severe blow to the budgets of our companies unable to compete competitively with Asian rice free of duties.
But that's not so much the problem - largely resolved in recent days after Brussels put an end to the safeguard clauses and zero-duty facilities, recognizing the economic damage inflicted on European and Italian producers above all. The problem that most concerns the rice consumer and his health is that due to severely lacking legislation in the countries of origin, for years we have imported rice from these countries, and also, to a lesser extent, from Laos and Bangladesh, in which is the widespread use of chemical products that have been banned for decades in Italy and in Europe, and we found it on the sales counters thanks to not exactly transparent labels. Likewise, a survey carried out a year ago by Il Salvagente, the monthly which has recently sensationally revealed the presence of glyphosate in the most widespread Italian pastas also highlighted that out of 18 Italian labels of basmati rice, 8 had traces of pesticides, albeit below the legal limits, including tebucanazole, piperonyl butoxide and malathion.
But it must also be said at the same time that even rice grown in Italy is not free from contamination problems. The enemy is called arsenic and perhaps not everyone knows that arsenic is present, albeit in non-lethal quantities, in almost all Italian rice. Indeed, arsenic is a chemical element present in the air, water and earth, we find it in the fields as well as in drinking water. The fact is that rice plants in the water live in it and absorb a lot of it. And the use of pesticides helps to fix this semi-metal to the grain. Also in this case there is no need to be alarmed but only to be aware that our body is subjected to constant attacks even from the most unexpected foods. Let's start from a premise: from a nutritional point of view, rice contains important proteins such as lysine, tryptophan and methionine, which are essential for growth; and then vitamins of group B, PP, K and E, mineral salts such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus. Its proteins are qualitatively superior to those of any other cereal. In fact, they contain all 18 amino acids on which regular human metabolism depends.
How to do without it? Impossible to give up risottos, supplì, sartou, arancini, baskets, cakes that gratify us every day. But we can and must keep our attention and carefully evaluate purchases by carefully reading the labels.
In any case, you can go on a rice with your eyes closed, its name is already a program, “Risoinfiore”, a name that leads to a bucolic-Botticellian vision of flowery meadows, field scents, spring water waterfalls, but which in reality, much more simply, hides a woman's name, that of Paola Fiore, owner of the company together with her husband Adolfo Barbonaglia who is located in Stroppiana, in the province of Vercelli, historical patrimony of Italian rice.
Why can you buy with your eyes closed? Because “Gloria” Risonfiore rice is the only zero residue rice on the world market with a registered trademark. A real flagship of Made in Italy. And zero residue means that it is free from any traces of plant protection products, which is certified by the multi-residual analyzes which are carried out on the lot and which can be consulted on the company website. In short, a rice that takes into account the most current needs of the consumer, who pays ever more particular attention to what is consumed, to the genuineness of the product, to the quality and obviously also to the taste.
But how did this result come about? It's worth telling. Meanwhile, it is an incredible story of coincidences that starts way back in 1935. We are in the Vercelli countryside, home of the best Italian rice. Some women of the Fiore family, i.e. Signora Paola's grandmother and great-grandmother, were weeders from the company of ancient landowners, the Barbonaglias, i.e. of her husband's grandparents and great-grandparents. Then the destinies of the two families are divided, the Fiores move to Turin. To return to the 80s. The Barbonaglias and the Fiores live in two small neighboring villages, stuff of 1000, 1500 inhabitants no more where everyone knows each other, and Paola and Adolfo happen to meet and exchange a few chats but nothing more. A few more years go by and Paola becomes chief accountant of an agricultural cooperative, of which she is president, guess what? Precisely Adolfo Barbonaglia. Their paths crossed again, but this time in a completely different way. The spark that is triggered not only decides their union but is also influenced by their families' experiences in the world of rice. And the call of rice leads the newlyweds to move to Stroppiana to set up a company that tells something new in this sector. They have a lot of experience in their DNA, you just need to channel it into a project that they want unique, totally innovative, for the production of a special rice, in terms of quality and food safety. In short, they want to show that they know their stuff. A demanding project, which has required years of study, considerable investments and also considerable risks because when one decides to follow nature and its laws without resorting to all the aids that technology, industry and chemistry have created to change the natural course of things and to optimize the yields of the fields, it is necessary to be aware that the results are never guaranteed and in some years there is a risk of heavy losses. But anyhow for Paola and Adolfo and also for their whole family the challenge is to inhabit a world on a human scale and, above all, for his health.
“It took eight years, declares Paola Fiore today – but with great pride and satisfaction, we can say that we have produced a rice at the moment, Unique, Good and Genuine, a rice that is totally natural rice, which has no equal in the world ”.
How do you get zero residue rice? It starts from cultivation with the preparation of the fields for sowing in strict compliance with the principles of sustainable agriculture aimed at reducing the risk of leaching of nutrients, ensuring adequate plant cover and promoting biological diversity and the supply of organic matter in the soil , which provides for winter green manure (barley) to organically fertilize the soil.
The cleaning of the fields with mechanical treatment does not exceed 12/15 cm of soil tillage in this way the soil is not affected except for the part that the rice root actually needs. We then proceed with the sowing, the variety chosen to produce a zero residue rice is the Gloria. Excellent for risottos, with the peculiarity of being resistant to diseases, therefore avoiding treatments with fungicides, which would inevitably leave residues on the product.
The use of pesticides in rice cultivation is a particularly sensitive issue for Paol and Adolfo. “The use of pesticides - says Paola Fiore - has a negative impact not only on the environment, but also on agricultural workers and consumers. Since they are used to suppress all insects and weeds that can compromise the crop, they also risk having a negative impact on the environment. In fact, plant protection products are deposited in the first layers of the soil, negatively influencing microbial life and the development of bacteria, algae, fungi and earthworms. In addition to the direct toxicity due to the accumulation of pesticides in the soil – he continues – the repeated use of these products can also have devastating effects on the health of people and animals”.
In fact, the most exposed are agricultural workers who, in addition to being exposed through the environment, risk poisoning by inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. Not to mention the consumers who, even if they are not in direct contact with pesticides, run serious risks in consuming products that have even only residues. Recent studies have in fact demonstrated that the use of pesticides in agriculture can significantly affect the development of tumors and malformations.
Among other things, the company has the good fortune to be located in an area irrigated by water that does not contain heavy metals, even Cadmium is not detectable, Lead is detected to the extent of 002 per cent compared to the 0,2 of the limits by law, we are therefore 95 percent less, and arsenic is held on average at 15 percent well below the limit of 0,20
So let's go back to the production process. After mid-July, where it is deemed necessary, the "wire machine" is used. A tractor with a wide bar on which a wire passes in a continuous cycle which at each passage is soaked in pelargonic acid (natural drying agent), which dries everything it comes into contact with. This allows you to avoid spraying in the open field, but only where weeds are present and without touching the rice plants.
Between September and October we then proceed with the harvesting of the rice which is then placed in a dryer where an aeraulic compensator has been inserted which allows for gentle drying, i.e. it does not cause the grain to take a thermal shock, guaranteeing it to maintain its qualities organoleptic characteristics and to avoid cracks which would increase the degree of breakage during processing. The aeraulic compensator also reduces fuel and electricity consumption to improve the environmental impact of production. To complete the energy framework, the company has also built a photovoltaic system whose production is used entirely by the company.
We then move on to processing exclusively with stone machines, thanks to which the brown rice (which only undergoes hulling and calibration) is caressed without undergoing overheating, thus avoiding the leakage of essential oils, once to obtain a semi-finished rice (semi integral) – twice: 2nd degree stonework. In this way the outer layers of the grain are not affected (apart from the fiber), allowing the nutritional values to be maintained high.
The entire supply chain is strictly traced on the company website, www.risoinfiore.it, where the Register of cultural operations of the Company is reported, with the identification of the land and the processes carried out with the relative dates, documented by videos and photos, as well as the Test Report is published with the results of the analyzes carried out, and all the numbers of the various zero-residue production stocks. In short, if you are eating a risotto and go to the site you will be able to know everything about that rice. It is appropriate to say, grain by grain. In short, one knows what he is really eating.
Finally, we have talked so far about the wholesomeness of Risoinfiore and its managerial and working transparency. And the taste? It is natural, like the rice that our ancestors ate. It is not enough? And then just say that Carlo Cracco, chef-star on television and in the news reports who spoke in London at the Bellavita Expo, the great trade fair for the promotion of Italian food and beverages abroad which reached as well as London, the cities of Amsterdam, Warsaw, Chicago, Toronto, Mexico City, Bangkok and Moscow, cooked up a memorable “Risotto creamed with mascarpone, anchovy cream, horseradish, lemon zest, with a spicy chocolate wafer in the centre”. The rice was, of course, from the Risoinfiore company. And if he chose him there will be some reason. Therefore, in conclusion, it is worth mentioning a Chinese proverb: "Eat your rice, heaven will take care of the rest".
PAOLA FIORE FARM
Via Roma, 159,
13010 Stroppiana (VC)
Phone: 333 627 9944
info@risoinfiore.it
Paola Fiore and Alfonso Barbonaglia's farm, which produces zero-residue Risoinfiore, covers 250 hectares. It produces rice in three variants: "Integral": only peeled and calibrated. "Semi-finished", refined with a single bleaching step to obtain semi-brown rice, keeping the true flavor of the rice unaltered and minimizing the removal of proteins and fibers of which it is rich in the first surface layers. "Traditional", is rice subjected to a 2nd degree processing. Pearl color typical of the processing of “Hamburg” type stone machines. Suitable for both simple and refined dishes, it allows cooking times acceptable by "modern cuisine". Sold in packs of 5 kg, 1 kg and 1/2 kg, in a protected atmosphere to preserve freshness. It also produces a medium rice for Sushi, Japonica variety (Crono), very similar to Calrose, of medium size, which has a crystalline grain, and is characterized by the release of starch in abundance during cooking, ideal for preparing sushi Perfect. Finally, from the grains of "Gloria" rice semi-finished with zero residue, the company also obtains stone-ground semi-integral rice flour.
