BioOrto

Born Organic, Remains Organic

Identity

Nothing can tell our story better than our produce. Look at it. It is so healthy and nutritious, and full of life, just like our family.

BioOrto is the child we have raised, nurtured for years and seen reach maturity. We, the passalacqua family, a family whose success is founded on willpower and hard work, a family who loves its work, are here to guide it into the world.

A United Family

The determined nature of the Passalacqua family can be traced back to its mountain origins, the life in the Abruzzi mountains the family’s grandparents, Giulia and Pietro,would leave behind until the middle of the last century, when they would travel to Tavoliere delle Puglie to practice the arduous but noble art of moving livestock from highland to lowland grazing grounds. The transition from nomadic farming to stationary agriculture was a natural one, but acquiring the fertile land that produces BioOrto vegetables and fruit, stretching as far as the eye can see, took sacrifice and hard work. The company was founded with established knowledge and with progressive ideas that only Nino was able to put into prospective, but which now his children, Giulia and her husband Mirko, Tiziano and Nino Jr., practice in their strategic roles. The family’s dedication is actually the reason for its adherence to tradition and, at the same time, its enthusiasm for research and innovation which has made BioOrto a brand that is synonymous throughout Europe for top-quality organic fruit and vegetables.

Growing vegetables is not easy, and organic farming on a large scale is a real undertaking. However, the abundance of perseverance and a willingness to work hard are characteristics that we have partly inherited from our abruzzi mountains origins. - Giulia Passalacqua

Dad understood before everyone else that we would have to commit fully to growing our produce in harmony with the wonderful nature that life has bestowed upon us. - Tiziano Passalacqua

Our land, at the foot of the gargano national park, enjoys a special microclimate, plenty of aeration and, in particular, something vegetables need most of all, the mineral water that filters through the headland and, through natural drainage, enriches our soil.

Ideal Conditions

The land acquired over time by the Passalacqua family enjoys climatic conditions that are absolutely ideal for the vegetables and fruit grown in our fields. The land at the foot of the Gargano National Park is well aerated and irrigated by mineral water, which trickles down the slopes of the Gargano mountain and enriches the soil without stagnating. The medium-textured soil is subjected to well-planned and not too demanding farming, with well spaced rotation that makes it suitable at all times for the production of quality vegetables and fruit in the required quantities. These special conditions have enabled the company to start large-scale vegetable production for the first time in the Daunian Apennines, achieved exclusively in the field, ensuring the availability of each product in its season, a characteristic that is one of the strengths of BioOrto produce.

All our vegetables and fruit are patiently sown and cultivated in soil that is well preserved with adequately spaced rotations. They are picked by hand and then freshly packed for the tables of those who appreciate produce cultivated with care and respect. - Nino Passalacqua

A Very Short Production Chain

BioOrto has mastered the art of promoting a simple country product and, using technology, bring it to all the markets. From planting to the final product, all stages of sowing, picking exclusively by hand, packaging and marketing are controlled by a company with a cottage industry approach but able to operate on a large scale. The transformation process of organic fruit and vegetables is aimed at Italian and European markets where the presence of seasonal produce is constant, thanks to treatments and conservation provided by Hydro and Vacuum Cooler and by a rapid cooling tunnel. The deliberate choice of organic agriculture has been reinforced over time by an extreme attention to cultivation, from the field to the table, of fresh produce and olive oil and tomatoes for preservation in jars. Current product certification and procedures, which enhance employees’ wellbeing, are a sign of BioOrto’s commitment, which is evaluated by continuous direct checks and by our customers.

Another characteristic that sets us apart from our competitors is the healthy habit to push our challenges a little further. We are committed to adding value to our products, increasing our processing capacity with the best available technology for the production of olive oil and tomatoes. - Mirko Conte

What motivates us in our daily work? The need to meet our clients’ expectations in terms of quality, quantity and continuity; the confidence of being able to work with our partners, whom we have always seen as part of our family, and in particular the desire to work together, now, as we did in the past, and as we will do increasingly in the future.

Red Produce

Tomato Preserves

Our latest challenge comes in a colour that leaves no doubts in people’s minds, which is tomato red. Thanks to the experience gained in the production of organic tomatoes, we have started a new adventure in the sector of transformed products. Through the selection of the best varieties of tomatoes and hand picking on our land, we are committed to enhance an already exceptional gift of the soils, transforming it, also thanks to continuous research, into a quality preserve in our high-tech plant. Our passata in fact boasts of one of the highest levels of lycopene in products of this type, reaching up to 243 mg/kg and therefore helping, with its exceptional antioxidant properties, to counteract the aging process and prevent cardiovascular disease and different types of cancer.

Tomato Passata

Our tomato passata contains levels of the antioxidant lycopene that are 69% higher than in other brands currently on the market. The queen of preserves is sweet, red and creamy, ideal for the preparation of traditional sauces, and lending itself to different types of dishes.

Peeled Tomatoes

Our tomatoes, which are peeled by hand and preserved in natural salted water, exude all the scent of freshly picked tomatoes and are irreplaceable in the preparation of soups, pizzas or fish and meat dishes.

Datterino Tomatoes

The Datterino tomato cultivated in the Gargano area is a variety of tomato with a high level of Brix, rich in mineral salts, Vitamins A and C. It has a delicate and sweet taste that makes it ideal in the preparation of antipasti and bruschetta, and cooked in light sauces and fish dishes.

Sundried Tomatoes in Evo Olive Oil

Sundried tomatoes are produced in the traditional Apulian way and then conserved in organic EVO olive oil. This is a product with a strong and distinctive flavour. It is versatile in the kitchen, ideal in antipasti and excellent for the preparation of gourmet sandwiches and pasta sauces.

Our Olive Oil

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To obtain an olive oil of the best possible quality from the fruits produced by our centuries-old olive trees, production is rigorously controlled at every stage and entrusted to a three-phase, continuous cycle Molinova Gold Series plant, which is top of the Pieralisi plant range.The olives are picked when they are perfectly mature. They are pressed within 6 to 8 hours of picking, using a highly automated pressing and mixing system, at a controlled, constant temperature of 27°C.The extra-virgin olive oil obtained in this way is then stored in stainless-steel silos, in a controlled environment, and is then bottled and packed.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Monocultivar / Peranzana

This oil is unique in terms of its quality. The balance between its bitterness and spiciness, its moderate fruitiness and its low level of acidity make it one of the most treasured extra-virgin olive oils. It has a full and captivating scent and gives off an aroma of unripe tomato and aromatic herbs. It is the perfect compliment to delicate dishes and is wonderful with fish tartare, shellfish, baked fish, salad and vegetable marinades.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Ogliarola / Garganica

This olive oil is unique to the Gargano area and has a clear golden yellow colour, with a slightly greenish tone. It is pleasantly soft on the palate, with a velvety note, with balanced bitter and spicy tones, and it is a fruity olive oil, with personality, but without excess. It is ideal for use with steamed vegetables, salads and soups.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Monocultivar / Coratina

This olive oil is loaded with polyphenols, which means it has a taste with a marked bitter and spicy note, and an intense fruity tone. It is the epitome of Apulian cultivars: an olive oil with a brilliant personality, a fine and characteristic taste, with a vegetal aroma. Ideal for use raw, especially for adding to legume soups, salads and bruschetta.

Grand Cru

We have obtained the Grand Cru line, a limited edition that best expresses the link with our land and the three cultivars that represent it, from the plots of land that have been part of the Posta dei Colli farm from the start.

Products BioOrto