quality
tradition
territory

Consortium

The Consortium for the Protection and Enhancement of Cereals and Legumes of the Tuscan Tradition was born in 2019. It is the tool to respond to the needs of the market, that is to that part of the overall demand that is recognized in the value of work and in the genuineness of the product that you choose the product to buy not only on the basis of the price criterion, but seeks out in the purchase the value that goes beyond the mere economic aspect. The Consortium wants to be the tool for the conservation of tradition as a means for achieving and certifying quality. It communicates with the consumer by providing him with all the information on the product, on the territory, on the means used by the person who cultivated, transformed and marketed it.
Statute of the Consortium (Italian)
Registration of the Consortium

Vision & Mission

vision & mission

Our world is agriculture, a sector strongly linked to the tradition and rhythms of Nature, but called to respond to the challenges of the hyper-technological society, in continuous and sudden change, highly sophisticated and demanding in which we live.

Today more than ever agriculture can make a significant contribution to improving the world in which we live, both in terms of the environment (climate change mitigation), and in terms of health and quality of life.

As a Consortium we have chosen to focus our work on the traditional crops of our land, Tuscany, without giving up all the opportunities that science and technology offer us, to bring the best cereals and legumes to our tables.

Our products are the result of centuries of work, in the true sense of the word: all the wisdom of Tuscan farmers and agronomists, who over time have refined the art of cultivating the land. All the knowledge of the millers and pasta makers, who obtain flour from the grain, and with this they forge the pasta, biscuits and bread from our tables. All the patience of geneticists and farmers who over the centuries have selected the best varieties, which are good for the palate and good for the heart. This is our vision.
This is our consortium.

Our primary purpose (mission) as a Consortium is the enhancement of the cultivation of cereals in Tuscany to guarantee the producer an adequate remuneration and the final consumer the origin and quality of the products.

Production Chain

In order to maintain the correct connection between the various production factors of the supply chain, the Consortium was formed by associating the various components of the supply chain: producers, processors and sales structures. It will be interesting to dedicate the Consortium’s activities also to those varieties of wheat which, based on their characteristics, can guarantee production even in marginal areas, such as those of high hills and foothills. By restoring the cultivation of suitable areas but, currently no longer used, with extraordinary agricultural interventions, in the face of reuse plans.
The purpose of the short supply chain is also to guarantee an adequate income to farmers, protecting biodiversity, low-impact cultivation methods and the environment, making it possible to increase the UAA destined for this type of products, especially in marginal areas , currently abandoned, because they are not competitive with current cultivation and market systems. A refurbishment of the land currently not worked could avoid stagnation or surface runoff, improving the relationship between water and air in the soil, also favoring the absorption of significant atmospheric events and allowing the establishment of larger water reserves.

Members

The consortium has 22 members, among which seed producers, farmers, millers, bread- and pasta- makers.
Please click here for the detailed description of each member.
Furthermore, the Consortium has 43 associates, among which seed producers, farmers, millers, bread- and pasta- makers.
Please click here to see the associates.

read more

Production specifications & Certification

The Consortium obtained the right from the Ente Toscano Sementi to use the registered trademarks Verna and Sieve, referring to the homonymous varieties of wheat, the only ancient soft wheat varieties (Verna is also registered in the National Varietal Register).
Disciplinare di produzione (Italian)
Verna is the name of an ancient variety of wheat of Tuscan origin, much appreciated in the past for its remarked rusticity and then abandoned because its significantly lower productivity with respect to modern varieties. Verna wheat has been kept in purity over the years thanks to the activity of the Ente Toscano Sementi, an institution founded during the 1930s, and set up, among others, by the University of Florence, faculty of Agronomy, and the Agricultural Consortium of Siena. In recent years the variety has been rediscovered, in particular the fact that this soft wheat is having a low protein content (12% total protein) which makes it particularly interesting for those with food intolerances. As a matter of facts, gluten (the substance that makes it easier to process flour both for the production of pasta and bread) in addition to being a serious problem for people with celiac disease, can also produce significant digestive difficulties in those people without the pathology, but still suffering from the high percentages of gluten in commonly used grains. “Verna” flour, which contains only 0.9% gluten compared to the average 14% of traditional flours, represents a good nutritional opportunity to improve digestive functions and therefore the well-being of many people who are not directly celiac, but in any case with intolerance towards wheat.

Activity

The market for food products and in particular that of cereals and legumes has remained on the sidelines for years, Community policies that over the years have contributed to enhancing other productions, have obtained, in addition to a contraction in production, a lack of certainty about the quality of the product and on cultivation methods.
The market is increasingly demanding products made with native seeds, which possess adequate nutraceutical and health characteristics. In particular, in the bakery sector, for example, we are witnessing a surge in demand for bread produced with “ancient grains” or rather, from the “Tuscan tradition”. Despite the growing demand, cereal growers are, on the contrary, going through a period of great economic difficulties due to a “globalized” market that does not adequately remunerate the production of our territory. The consumer is also willing to pay significant amounts to purchase products with characteristics capable of satisfying his requests, more “safe” and above all of certain origin and linked to the territory, the economic advantage, however, in actuality, is not equally redistributed on the whole supply chain.
The sudden acceleration of the request was matched by an offer that was not always in line with expectations, also due to the delay with which the market requests were perceived and the supply chains were launched. In particular, we are witnessing a proliferation of thick offers supported by non-certified productions.
To protect the consumer from inappropriate productions that do not always meet the declared quality, even, in some cases they do not even correspond to the quality standards of the product offered, the need was felt to set up a consortium that brings together all segments of production: from the farmer up to the consumer; keeping track of the product within a short supply chain, where it is possible to monitor all stages: from production with certification of the seed, to storage, final processing and marketing.