10 good reasons for buying from small local producers

ALL THE GOODNESS OF SHOPPING IN SMALL PRODUCER SHOPS OF VALDICHIANA SENESE

Shopping in small local producer shops is a choice of many inhabitants of Valdichiana and also of the guests who stay in this area for short periods. Let’s find out together the ten good reasons to choose the small producers of Valdichiana Senese:

• Product quality
  The small local producer focuses on the quality of its product rather than on quantity. A selection of the best raw materials, often using traditional production methods or new techniques but on small quantities in order to guarantee greater controls on the supply chain. Short usage of pesticides. Therefore, you can obtain a qualitatively better product compared to a product purchased in large-scale distribution. The best example? Extra virgin olive oil. In Valdichiana it is rare to find someone who buys extra virgin olive oil from large retailers. Starting from October, when the new oil is produced, the tables of the Valdichiana are filled with bottles of structly local extra virgin olive oil.
• Traceability
  Food is good when it has an excellent flavour but above all when it is made from quality raw materials and with production techniques that do not alter its organoleptic qualities. Knowing exactly where the raw materials come from and how they have been transformed to make the product you intend to eat makes a purchase choice more informed and ethical. An example? Daniela from the La Bandita Agricultural Company can explain (photo).
• Variety of product
  Thanks to small producers you can find particular or not very widespread, autochthonous and genuine product varieties. Local varieties that do not reach big numbers in production but have excellent quality, which preserve biodiversity. An example is the Aglione of Valdichiana Senese, a Tuscan PAT product, difficult to find in large-scale distribution and with a very specific seasonality.

Aglione 2021 is ready in this period, we recommend that you buy it now because it will no longer be available in a few months!

• More knowledge
  Talking wiht a producer means understanding the seasonality of products, being able to access detailed information on conservation methods. For example, Luciana from Tenuta Astrone here told us about zucchini …
• Tips for use and combinations
  Who can tell you how to best use a product better than its producer? Pairings, recipes, advices on using typical products which, in long term, become a real nutritional education.

IF YOU WANT TO MEET SOME OF THE PRODUCERS OF VALDICHIANA EATING WATCH OUR VIDEO, OTHERWISE CONTINUE WITH THE TEN GOOD REASONS TO CHOOSE THE SMALL PRODUCERS OF VALDICHIANA SENESE.

• Human relationship
  Buying from a local producer means personally knowing the producer and establishing a pleasant ritual. Trustful relationship and mutual knowledge that sometimes become a real friendship.
• Tradition and innovation
  A small producer has most likely learned a family expertise or followed an ancient tradition, believes in the values ​​of tradition and wishes to pass them on to future generations. And this is sometimes achieved with great innovations. This is the case of Paolo from Azienda Agricola Nenci, a digital farmer who brought the family business into the social world by becoming a very successful influencer.
• Environmental sustainability
• The short supply chain guarantees less pollution and favors the limited use of packaging.

Valdichiana Eating wants to preserve these good practices with sustainable packaging and shipments only once a week. This way, we are able to reduce CO2 emissions caused by transports.

• Support for the territory
  Small producers invest their economic resources in the territory, finance local authorities, create greater job opportunities for them and for their collaborators. Supporting small local producers means supporting the community in which they live.
• Economic advantage
  Buying from a small manufacturer may seem economically disadvantageous because large retailers offer better discounts and prices. But in the long term, buying from the small can be advantageous. How many times have you thrown away supermarket-bought vegetables after only a couple of days? The small manufacturer provides guidance on storage times and selects the products for you, making sure you pick the best available. And the best product that can be offered to you is the one that the same producer eats at home.

The reasons for buying from small producers are many and good. Whether it’s the market, the shop in the hamlet or through e-commerce, for us the best shopping is the shopping done with small producers of Valdichiana Senese.

At this point, all you have to do is to get to know the producers of the Valdichiana Eating network. People who produce and transform typical Tuscan excellences every day, with great commitment and competence. Take a look at the page dedicated to our producers.