Grano Italiano
90 years
Italiano
What the largest industrial pasta factory produces in five hours, we make by hand in a year.
All work processes in our pasta factory are marked by slow techniques at low temperatures. This approach has been abandoned by the industry due to the long waits and the lower yield, but it is essential to enhance the flavour of the grain and the absorption of the sauce, and to make the dough more easily digestible.

A supply chain
“Made in Italy”

As true supporters of the Italian tradition, we choose to promote local agriculture. The selections of the best Italian durum wheat are ground by the Molino Borgioli mill of Calenzano; we receive the semolina flour and mix it with the cold water to make a perfect dough.

The best pasta
is bronze drawn

Digestibility and flavour depends also on the work process. Dough worked quickly and with hot water is subjected to stress that affects the pasta. We knead the semolina flour with cold water only and we do it slowly, to avoid deteriorating the quality and compromising the most precious elements: gluten and carbohydrates. The dough is then drawn gently through a bronze die: this creates a porous and rough pasta, perfect for absorbing the sauce when mixed together. Each pasta type has a specific die that gives it its shape and texture. The pasta worked in this manner maintains all the characteristics that define its taste.

The pleasure
of working slowly

At the Pastificio Famiglia Martelli, the drying process follows the traditional method: temperatures below 36° C, homogeneous ventilation and controlled humidity. Yet, it is most of all the pasta maker’s eye and mastery that makes the difference, because we do have not modern drying chambers equipped with computers that programme the whole process. We can count only on age-old experience and passion, yet they are fundamental for understanding how much air to circulate, and at what temperature, for assessing the degree of humidity and for gauging the impact of the outdoor climate on what takes place within our walls.

The pasta rests in wooden containers that exchange heat and humidity with the outside at all times: when it rains, when the sun shines, or even when it snows, though this happens rarely. For this reason, the drying of the pasta must be followed and adapted from day to day. The ability to do this well is the result of passion and determination in the pursuit of quality.

50 hours for one piece
of Spaghetti

In addition to the quality of the raw material and the slow kneading process, what characterizes our pasta most of all is the amount of time we take to dry the product completely. It is at this stage that the properties acquired from mixing the flour with cold water and drawing it through a bronze die are stabilized: the porosity that allows the sauce to be absorbed, the rich nutritional value and the excellent digestibility. 50 hours: that’s how long it takes to dry our Spaghetti. More than two days to obtain a tasty, digestible and nutrient-rich pasta. Low temperature drying is expensive: the lower yield owing to the long rest periods has prompted most modern pasta manufacturers to adopt more efficient systems, which expose the pasta to high temperatures for just a few hours (90° - 115° C). This is certainly a great advantage in terms of time and cost, but it has also a considerable impact on the pasta, which is no longer the same. The higher the temperature, the more the flavour of the product is changed and the nutritional value reduced.

The final touch
is a gesture of love

Now the pasta is ready to be placed in its yellow package. Each package is packed by hand, with care. The proof? You can find it in the detail of the small bow, on the end of each piece of Spaghetti.