GourmetOrigins.com, the authentic regional food blog

Going nuts!…some exciting new organic oils on our marketplace

miquel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:36:01 +0000

We recently had the chance to present in this blog the story of Azada Organic, an innovative organic olive oil producer from Tarragona, just south of Barcelona, that really surprised us with its amazing and diverse range of flavoured organic olive oils.

An interesting addition to Azada Organic's range

And they have done it again…broadening their range of organic oils, this time specially indicated for those that love nutty flavours, as they have just launched their Virgin Almond Oil from Mallorca, Virgin Walnut Oil from Aragón (Spain) and Virgin Hazelnut Oil from Tarragona.

In order to produce these oils, nuts are roasted and then cold pressed and packaged in Azada’s beautiful and eco-friendly packaging. One of the aspects we like as well is how Azada communicates the provenance of the ingredients it uses, with the origin of each nut type clearly identified and integrated in the product image.

For example almonds come from Majorca, an island that is known, among other things for its blossoming almond trees, walnuts are from Aragón, an inland region of Spain, known for the quality of its agricultural produce, while hazelnuts are from the Tarragona region, a mark of provenance that is recognized as far as Japan!

And of course all these oils are available on our marketplace.

Nice and super-tasty present at the office

miquel — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:42:45 +0000

My friend Andreu has brough these great pastries from Tortosa, a town in the South of Catalonia.

This is real traditional stuff, the sort of pastries you can still find in some artisan bakeries throughout Spain. They are, admittedly, not for those on a diet, but hard to beat in flavour!

A close-up of this delicious present

This vintage packaging is not a marketing trick, it's the way it's always been!

By the way, although these specific pastries, displayed above, are not currently available on GourmetOrigins.com, you will be able to find some traditional artisan Spanish pastries and cookies on our marketplace, such as those made by Pastelería Soles de Gredos.

Check them out!

The star of the Christmas is…Mulled Cider!

miquel — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:41:15 +0000

A real Christmas star

Here it is!

Not that it’s been particularly cold this winter in the UK, but the mulled cider parcels you can find on our marketplace really rock!

These mulled cider parcels contain what you need to prepare mulled cider at home, you can use any cider, although Adeline of Weanie Beans, the small producer from Hackney, London, that makes this little wonder, recommends using non-fizzy ciders (such as Scrumpy Jack) as she finds the taste to be better, and it also mixes with the spices better.

And now that we are at it, do not forget to check Weanie Beans’ other great products, such as their warming Chilli Hot Chocolate or these delicious chocolate covered coffee beans as well as the range specialty tea and coffee from different regions around the World.

Calling all food bloggers: you can make money by adding our badges to your blog

miquel — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:05:41 +0000

Become one of our affiliates

If you are a food blogger you can now make some extra money by referring people to our marketplace.

How does it work?

It is very simple, you can let your visitors know about our site by adding a badge to your site or blog. Besides letting your visitors discover our range of unique foods, you will be able to make some money out of any purchases they make on GourmetOrigins.com up to 30 days after clicking on the badge.

How to add the badge?

Go to our partners page
Select the banner and link format you wish to use
Copy the snipet of html code you are going to get and paste it on your blog or website in the place where you wish to display the badge

And you are ready to go!

Of course we would be happy to help with any question you might have about our affiliates programme

Producer interview: Kevin, of Azada Organic, not a conventional olive oil maker

miquel — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:52:11 +0000

Azada Organic produces a range of organic olive oils with different unique flavours

Today we start a series of interviews with people without whom this website and blog could not exist: our producer partners. Our goal is to present you the real people that make all these great foods you can find on our marketplace and get you to know them a bit better and show you why their products are so unique.

We are starting with Kevin, of Azada Organic, a young company that is reinventing one of the flagship products of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil. To see what I am talking about you only need to have a look at their product range and how prime quality raw material, attention to detail, innovation and respect for the environment can go a long way!

Q: Azada Organic is such a young project, how and where it all started?

K: In the late 70′s my father bought a farm of several acres in the town of Tivissa, Tarragona, he fell in love with the land and how much it had to offer. His idea was to recover farmland that hadn’t been plowed for years. During the next few years he went from restoring a small abandoned house with a few almond trees and hazels to managing a farmhouse with 20 acres of farmland where a wide variety of fruits and vegetables was organically grown, as well as a small vineyard producing a very limited quantity of wine .

As a child, I remember helping my father in the orchard harvesting almonds and hazelnuts. He used very basic tools, including spade (“azada” in Spanish). Hence, the name of the company: Azada.

It was only after working several years as a branding consultant, that II decided to continue the legacy of my father. The passion and love of my father for farming and traditional culture is what prompted me in 2009 to create Azada, a company based on the idea of preserving traditional farming while adding some elements of innovation .

Q: What makes Azada Organic olive oils unique?

K: Azada produces extra virgin olive oil with olives of the Arbequina variety flavored with ingredients of our land: fresh basil from Murcia, Mediterranean lemons, oranges from the fields of Valencia, hand-picked thyme from the mountains of Tarragona, garlic from the orchards of La Mancha, spicy chillies from Navarra and two innovative flavors: fresh ginger and organically grown Arabica coffee beans.

The flavors we offer are new to the increasingly-saturated world of olive oil. Moreover, wwe add flavour by pressing the oil at the same time as the ingredients. They are not infused oils and they do not contain essences. Azada Organic olive oils are 100% natural, which means that they keep all their vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.

Q: What prompted you to sell online

K: We have been selling online since day one. It is our window to the outside market. Anyone who is not online, is dead.

Q: How you see the online food market in Spain?

K: Spain is growing at a dizzying pace. Before there was the fear of sharing your credit card number on the web but that’s history now. Spanish consumers buy on the Internet as a matter of routine. After years of uncertainty Amazon has just announced its new portal in Spain (update: since the time this interview was conducted, Amazon has already launched in Spain). There are sites like Privalia or Let’s Bonus that are enjoying great success and I think GourmetOrigins.com will be another great success.

Q:… and the olive oil market?

K: The olive oil market in Spain is saturated with new producers appearing every year. Quality is no longer a selling point, we must now invest in branding and focus on online sales.

Q: Is the Spanish consumer ready?

K:The Spanish consumer is accustomed to eating mono-varietal oils. He has been doing it for years and been using them for all sort of dishes. Our purpose is to use an olive oil for each type of dish. For example, our olive oil with lemons is great to cook fish, our olive oil with thyme, for roasted meat. And our basil oil is ideal for salads or pasta dishes .

We are now working with Grupo Guzman to deliver courses to the best chefs in Spain along with Tomeu Caldentey, chef-owner of the Restaurant Es Moli d’en Bou. Tomeu has a Michelin star.

Q: What is the consumer profile?

K: We have two main types of customers: the restaurant chef and the cuisine lover. In English there is a terminology that defines them well: Foodies.

Q: Your packaging looks great. Could you please tell us a bit more about it?

K: Azada’s packaging is our “alma mater” and it is very important to us. Its main feature is its white colour, the DNA of our brand. White colour make our bottles stand out in a shelf full of dark colors. White is the color associated with “virginity”. White because we are honest and sincere. White also protects 100% our olive oil from UV sun rays.

The labels have been designed by Carla Marin, collaborator and personal friend. They are handwritten and illustrated with watercolors to convey the typical Spanish rural environment, the towns and fields that are part of the Mediterranean landscape.

We were the first brand in Spain and in Europe to use labels made of sugar hemp, preventing, this way, the indiscriminate felling of trees. Our labels are 100% biodegradable and compostable.

Q: What is your stance regarding the environment:

K: We love our land and all it has to offer. Fields and forests are disappearing at an increasing rate: to us woods and fields are a symbol of a true agriculture that should continue to exist.

In order to achieve this we must be honest and respectful. And be careful about what we produce and how we produce it.

We analyze our actions every day in order to minimize the impact we make on our planet, in order to leave things better than they were before.

We work to develop our activities in way that takes into account the preservation of the environment. Taking care of environment and a following a sustainable development path add value to our activities, and contribute to the quality of life for our customers and of society in general.

In a context where environmental issues, such as climate change, desertification and water shortages are global challenges, Azada believes that we must operate responsibly and be natural resource-efficient.

Q: Do you think the consumer cares about the environmental credentiasl of a product, its roots, its story…?

K: We do not sell just olive oil. We sell a story. And as I said previously, Azada’s philosophy is to offer what the earth has to offer. I’m just a middleman.

You can get Azada Organic’s olive oils on our marketplace.

Meet our producers: País de Quercus, bringing the flavour of Extremadura to your table

miquel — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:16:12 +0000

Far from the “costas” that are overrun by tourists, bordering with Portugal, Extremadura is one Spain’s largest regions and Spain’s secret larder. Most of it is covered by “dehesas“, the meadows that cover much of Southern and Central Spain that serves as a breeding ground for the animal that is at the basis of most of Spanish finest delicacies, the pure-breed Iberian pig.

Some of Spain's finest cured emats are produced in Extremadura

But the gastronomical interest of this region does not stop here! Extremadura’s orchards and olive groves produce also a whole range of delicacies.

País de Quercus is an association of producers from rural Extremadura that have got together to market all these specialities. They have created a range of foods that gathers some of the Extremadura’s best foods, presented in a nice and elegant packaging that evokes the authenticity of Extremadura’s rural landscape.

In fact, if you wish to taste a broad sample of the best produce Extremadura’s wild meadows have to offer, we recommend País de Quercus fantastic gift boxes, that contain the best that this region has to offer in a really convenient and great value format!

This pack contains a sample of the best foods from Extremadura

Holiday Food Photo contest, pictures of the prize: an amazing set of greengold natural Greek products

miquel — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:06:52 +0000

A close-up of the greengold Greek food prize pack

Anna, the winner of 1st prize in our Holiday Food Photo contest has just sent us these pictures of the prize we sent her (you can see the winning pictures here): a pack of natural Greek foods, including a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, Kalamata olives and a selection of herbs, courtesy of greengold, one of our partner producers. The feedback we got is that they all taste absolutely great!

A set of greengold authentic Greek foods

greengold is a family-owned company that produces a range of olive oil, olives and herbs in their own estate in the Peloponnese peninsula of Southern Greece. You can buy greengold foods from anywhere in the UK (and the rest of Europe!) on our marketplace!

Presenting the winners of GourmetOrigins.com 1st Food Photo Contest!

miquel — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:07:07 +0000

It’s a pleasure to present the winners of the 1st GourmetOrigins.com Holiday Food Photo contest, that we launched on October 11th.

The winners were:

1) 1st prize winner, Anna, from London, for this colorful shrimp, spinach, horse-radish and cherry-tomato salad!

The Winner: a colorful salad made of shrimp, spinach, horse-radish and cherry-tomatoes

2nd Position for Lars, from Darmstadt, Germany for this exotic food pictures he took on a trip to Thailand (also shrimps!):

Dancing shrimps from Thailand took 2nd spot

And 3rd prize was for Carme, who sent us this great picture of a dish of foie with caramelized onion and tomato jam, served together with raspberries ice-cream

This amazing preparation took the 3rd spot

Congratulations to all the winners and watch this space because we are already preparing our next foodie contest!

Presenting our great producers: Factor Artesà, the flavours of Catalonia, direct from Barcelona

miquel — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:45:06 +0000

A great sample of artisan Catalan food

There are many reasons why Barcelona has become one of the top European tourist destinations, but one of them stands out: the amazing local Catalan food!

The secret of Barcelona’s great food is the city’s position as the capital city of Catalonia, a territory with such a large diversity of climates and landscapes, from the mountain peaks of the Pyrenees to the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, that is, in itself, like a continent in miniature.

This diversity has traditionally found its way into Catalan cuisine, that boasts an assortment of local produce that has greatly contributed to Catalan chefs regularly getting top spots in international rankings.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Spanish food available to UK foodies, but we found that it was difficult to find foods that came specifically from Catalonia, this is why we have partnered with Barcelona-based Factor Artesà, with whom we share a philosophy of supporting small artisan producers with strong links to their territory.

Thanks to our agreement with Factor Artesà, you can now get a pack of top quality artisan foods from Catalonia in the UK for just £49!

It is an ideal combination of Catalan foods to enjoy at home or to order as a gift. And an original gift indeed!

The pack includes the following products:

Mushroom Risotto – Let’s bo
Kumabo Chocolate (80%) – El Xocolater de Taradell
Extra virgin olive oil Vilar – Moll de la Creu
Fuet (Catalan cured sausage) – Casa Oms
Arbequina olives – La Gaeta
Almonds – GaletesTrias
Bomba Rice (from the Ebre river Delta) – Arròs Nostre

Be original and get your Factor Artesà Catalan artisan food pack for this Christmas!

Discover Rowanberry Fruit Cheese, a unique flavour originating in the Highlands of Scotland

miquel — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:59:01 +0000

Today we are presenting a product that is truly unique, a new product that is perfect to delight your guests at home this Christmas.

Rowanberry fruit cheese

We are really happy that Huntly Herbs has chosen us as one of the few partners selling their latest creation: Rowanberry Fruit Cheese.

What is Rowanberry Fruit Cheese?

Some of the early testers have described it as Scotland’s answer to Quince Membrillo…it is a stunningly flavoured accompaniment to game, cold meats and strong cheeses, for example, it is perfect with mature cheddar or dunlop. This flavour is a total novelty but it is already getting its first enthusiastic fans and collecting positive reviews among those that have had the chance to try it, including some important British retailers.

What is the secret?

It could be nothing else but Scottish Rowan trees.

The people at Huntly Herbs got permission from the Forestry Commission to go out to Darroch Woods Community Forest, 8oo feet up in the north-east foothills of the Cairngorms, in North-Eastern Scotland to harvest Rowan tree berries. The same scarlet berries that put on an exceptional display in autumn.

Rowanberry Fruit Cheese is not the only product Huntly Herbs has created using Rowan trees berries as an ingredient: there is also make pure Rowanberry Jelly, also available on our marketplace, that containes nothing but rowanberries, organic sugar and water. This jelly, is a traditional Scottish delicacy, is strongly flavoured and tart and goes really well with game or cold meats. Our suggestion is to try it with turkey for Boxing Day.

By the way, do not forget to check out Huntly Herbs’ great assortment of artisan chutneys, jellies and also organic Damson Fruit Cheese, certified by the Soil Association, a perfect companion for cold meats and cheese.