From the outside, the house does not look that high, but inside the narrow building there are an incredible five floors. Location makes this possible. The house stands on a steep slope directly above the Maira river, which bears its name in heavy rain and thunderstorms: Maira means wild. And the river can get wild after storms in the mountains. Flowing water is also why the building stands on a steep slope in the small village of Promontogno in Bergell. An old mill. And for a long time, mills depended on the energy of water to move heavy millstones. Documents indicate that there was a mill on this spot as early as the second half of the 17th century.
A small family business
34-year-old Vittorio Scartazzini and a tenth-generation family member are already at the mill and oversee the production of organic and alpine specialty flours. Vittorio and his brother Giulio, who is two years older than him and runs the pasta production and bakery, want to take over the business from their father, Gian Andrea, who is now 61 years old, in the long run. He is currently the boss and in charge of management and deliveries. But for a long time it was unclear whether the sons would join the traditional family business. “The company didn’t really seem to have a future,” says Vittorio Scartazzini.
However, thanks to Pro Montagna’s creativity and a new opportunity, the facility’s prospects have completely changed in recent years. While for a long time father Gian Andrea Scartazzini only produced four different types of flour (smoky, semi-white and white flour from wheat and rye flour), the variety of varieties on the farm has now increased tenfold. Cereals such as spelt, barley, buckwheat, and emmer were also added to this. Another factor in the rise is two new products that Scartazzinis have produced exclusively for Pro Montagna: organic rye pasta and organic rolled barley with raw materials from the mountain region.
nothing goes in except rye flour and water
The dark, almost grayish maccheroni has only been on the market for two years. The special production process of the flour is responsible for its striking color: “The rye itself is a darker grain. But we don’t grind too much here,” explains Vittorio Scartazzini. This means that there are still bits of the husk in the flour. Advantage: It contains more minerals and vitamins. It has higher nutritional value. “Only 20 percent of the grain is lost, and as with white flour Not 30 to 35 percent.” Brother Giulio Scartazzini makes pasta at the local bakery next to the mill. He mixes flour with water to make a smooth pasta dough. A machine shapes the pasta, which is then hand sorted and dried in a cabinet. They are then hand-packaged again.
Like organic rye, organic rolled barley used in barley soups or gersotto (a risotto with barley instead of rice) comes from the Gran Alpin cooperative, which consists of about 100 Graubünden mountain farmers who grow grains.
Coop turned to the cooperative seven years ago when searching for a local rolled barley producer. Eventually, they contacted the Scartazzinis, who agreed to the production and even had to buy a new, special grinding machine for it.
A decision the three men have not regretted to this day. The mill in Promontogno now produces 100 tons of rolled barley every year. In addition, there are approximately 100 tons of organic flour milled by the Scartazzinis in the name of Gran Alpin, as well as 80 tons of flour with the Suisse Guarantee label. The mill sources the grain from producers in the region, and customers of the flour are bakeries, restaurants, hotels and shops in Bergell and neighboring Engadin. Pearl barley has become the mainstay of the family business in just a few years.