GIORGIO MINARDO

Before founding the pasta factory, Giorgio Minardo worked as an electrical engineer in Turin. At the end of the 1990s, he decided to return to Sicily to realize a family project. At that time, due to some health problems, he changed his job and lifestyle, adopting a healthy diet. In 2000, he began researching and discovered that one of the most popular wheat varieties used to make pasta had been modified with gamma rays since 1975. He then began researching wheat varieties cultivated in Sicily before 1975, which were little used because they were not very productive or profitable. In 2000, he began researching and discovered that one of the most popular wheat varieties used to make pasta had been modified with gamma rays since 1975. He then began researching wheat varieties cultivated in Sicily before 1975, which were little used because they were not very productive or profitable.

In spite of the scepticism of most people, in those years, he started a collaboration with the Experimental Station for Graniculture in Caltagirone, for the multiplication and cultivation of ancient varieties of Sicilian grains, prior to experiments with gamma rays.

This research led to the desire to create a line of pastamade with semolina from ancient Sicilian grains.The initial stages of this visionary project were certainly not without their difficulties. First of all, it was necessary to find farmers willing to dedicate themselves to this type of cultivation, which at the time was not considered economically advantageous, then it was necessary to find mills willing to grind these grains, keeping them separate, and finally it was necessary to find pasta factories willing to make this pasta.

After much research and experimentation, in 2007 Giorgio Minardo decided to open a small pasta factory in Modica to produce his own line of pasta.

Thanks to this research, Giorgio Minardo can be considered the forerunner of a movement that has led to the rediscovery of a priceless heritage of biodiversity such as the varieties of ancient Sicilian grains, a story made up of passion and courage, which has given back to mankind precious varieties of wheat for health and respecting the environment.