Frali Gourmet is a local producer of fresh and dried pastas, gourmet sauces, soups, desserts, and more. Franco and Lisa started the company after running and owning a restaurant in Italy for a decade, and now we are lucky enough to have them here in Savannah (literally right in the heart of the city) doing what they do best. They make all of their items by hand, with help from their son, and use old-world methods to produce amazing, all-natural products that we are very proud to offer to our Co-op members.
We posed the following questions to Lisa so you could learn a little more about them, their products, and their company.
When did you start Frali Gourmet?
April, 2010.
What inspired you to produce your products using all-natural, sustainable methods?
Being from Europe and coming from an old world tradition, I grew up learning and using only all natural methods to preserve and maintain food from one season to the next.
What can you share with us about your products that we may not know?
Our pasta is slowly dehydrated at low temperatures (110f.) for 20 hours instead of flash baked for 90 seconds like major pasta companies do. That’s why our pasta maintains the same texture of fresh pasta even after it is dried.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Adhering to sometimes overly-strict regulation set upon us by various organizations (FDA and Department of Agriculture).
What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
Seeing the finished product on the shelf of a store and thinking about the transformation from the raw materials (semolina flour, fresh vegetables, etc.).
Can you describe a typical day of work?
Arriving at 7am and scheduling the production for the day considering the different timing of procedures (cooking sauces, drying pasta, fresh pasta production, curing vegetables before they are jarred, etc.). We then work until all of our tasks for the day are done stopping only 30 minutes for lunch at noon.
