Spighe Toscane

“Spighe Toscane”: The Renaissance of ancient grain

Just a few kilometres from Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, there is an original farmhouse that has recovered varieties of ancient Italian grains: back to the future!

Here, you have an example of what the creative Italian mind can do: “Spighe Toscane”.

Just 12 kilometres from the superb Renaissance attractions of Florence, there is an original farmhouse located in Bagno di Ripoli. The name of the farmhouse is Monna Giovannella, and its core business is to bring the world back to its roots, back to the original flavours and scents of the past by growing the “ancient grains”. Yes, this particular product is the result of very hard, long toil by the founders of Spighe Toscane together with the prestigious University of Agrarian of Florence. Their passion is to recover the ancient species and varieties of grains grown by the men of the long ago: Grano duro di Senatore Cappelli, Grano tenero Verna, Gentil Rosso, Frassineto e Sieve; il farro monococco, dicocco e Spelta. These long Italian names represent the history and simple, peasant past of central and southern Italy; these are the variety of grains that have been cultivated since before the “Green Revolution” of the 1900s.

Sometimes, mankind needs to return to its history, to reveal some treasures that he left behind in his journey toward progress. This is the aim, the purpose of “Spighe Toscane”: to sell, to grow – and to let people know about the ancient grains that, trust us, have incredible properties. 

It’s time to focus on these properties. First of all, these products are not rich in gluten, so they are more easily digestible. When they are refined in the right way using a stone mill, they keep all their nutritional richness. If you are a chef and you want to give your dish a real, characteristic flavour of grain, you must not miss using these ancient products. They have been selected by the slow and knowledgeable journey of the peasants, conferring a strong bond on the territory. The ancient grains have been naturally selected by the centuries to survive in a particular territory; that’s why they don’t need any fertilizers or chemical additives because they are naturally strong enough to grow in a particular type of ground and in specific weather conditions. Biodiversity, respect for the territory, wonderful natural taste, a strong bond to the land and to the workers all return to us the treasure we lost and that Spighe Toscane has rediscovered.

This farmhouse has expanded year by year. To start with, they only cultivated the grains. Now, they have developed to perform the entire production chain. They grow the plants, refine the wheat, and produce various bread and other commodities This is a genuine km0 farmhouse from the ground to the table, forever respecting the old – but gold – purpose, to provide to and help the public be more conscious of what they have on their table. That’s why, in their store, you can now buy not only different kinds of wheats, but also handcrafted beers, chocolate, legumes, salt biscuits, pasta, and oil.

Spighe Toscane has a wonderful mission, and that’s why we at Kaataa felt in love with them. They live to get closer to nature, promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and educate the public about the rural life that is the future solution to helping mankind be able to live more in tune with the planet.