"Beyond recurrence products with territorial connotations, we mainly produce organic products, where the added value comes from the selection of ingredients. We process Sicilian dried fruit for the production of nougats, almond pastries, and classic almond milk, with family recipes inherited from previous generations. Recipes that, over the years, we have updated with the addition of new flavors, but without altering the production methodology," said Melissa Puglisi, sales manageress of the Aruci brand, of which she is the owner together with her siblings Giovanni Puglisi and Ginella Puglisi.
Melissa Puglisi
"We are very careful about establishing a direct relationship with producers. We follow their supply chains and work with them. That's why it's important for us to tell what we do, both our products and all the processing behind them."
Aruci was officially born in 2015, but for as long as she can remember, Grandma Giorgina's kitchen has always smelled of honey, caramelized sugar, almonds, hazelnuts, and the renowned Ispica sesame, which is formally recognized by the Slow Food association, and grown on about 20 hectares between Ispica and in Scicli (RG), Rosolini and Noto (SR). It is among these delicacies that the heirs grew up, with first daughter Lucia and then the three grandchildren Melissa, Ginella, and Giovanni.
"I started by chance," the latter explains. "During parties for friends and relatives, I used to help my mom make Giuggiulena nougats (this is how sesame is called in Sicilian dialect), a thin ribbon curled with sesame and honey. However, when she was involved in a charity event, I joined her from Pavia, where I was working, to help her, and it was on that public occasion that -while I was providing all the information about the specialties we had prepared - I understood that my life was going to take a sweet turn and I came back to settle in Rosolini."
"The new product novelty we brought to Sana 2022 in Bologna is the Nebrodi Hazelnut grain nougat, embellished with the addition of candied orange. A perfect taste combination, combining the crunchiness of hazelnuts with the softness of candied orange, available in 100- and 250-gram sizes. Other artisanal specialties include almond grain nougat with orange peel, cinnamon, and cloves (sizes:100 and 250 g)."
In the artisan laboratory, ancient recipes take shape, and local raw materials (sesame, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts) are transformed into a variety of sweets, from nougats and carob cookies to the traditional "Facciuneddu," exquisite rounded almond cookies made with whole wheat flour, almond flour (30 percent), brown sugar, honey, eggs, lemon peel, and juice. Then there are Mustazzoli, traditional Sicilian dry sweets made with concentrated grape must (50 percent), whole wheat flour, almond flour, almond granules, and orange peel.
The range of cookies comprises Reginelle, crumbly and irregularly shaped cookies covered with sesame seeds, and carob cookies, considered an alternative to cocoa for those who are allergic or intolerant. Granelloso is nougat with a unique flavor, a synthesis of the best Sicilian nuts made with pistachio, almond, and hazelnut grains, blended with orange-flavored honey and sugar.
"Our products can be found throughout Sicily and the entire Italian territory in specialized stores and also abroad, particularly in France, the Netherlands, and Germany, with market shares expanding year by year in other European countries. This is also thanks to both a communication approach that allows us to narrate the local environment and by taking part in the most important trade fairs in the sector. Last week, at the Sana trade show in Bologna, we met new customers, although the fair seemed a bit downbeat. For example, the big Italian organic brands were not there. This is evidence that, for companies in general, this is a time of crisis in the sector, certainly linked to a difficult climate exacerbated in the post-pandemic by rising energy prices and inflation."
For more information:
Aruci Dolcezze Siciliane
Via Ariosto, 94
96019 Rosolini (SR) Italy
+39 338 3594764
info@aruci.it
www.torronesiciliano.it