Fresh, Sustainable, Unforgettable: A Pasta Revolution with Pasta Libertina
With a passion for experimentation and creativity, Pasta Libertina sought to push the boundaries of what fresh pasta could be. When they discovered Agrain's spent grain flour, they found an innovative solution to their challenge of integrating sustainability into their product without compromising on taste, texture, or appearance.
Breaking Boundaries with Sustainable, Fresh Pasta
Pasta Libertina is a Spanish pasta producer renowned for its dedication to crafting high-quality, fresh pasta for the Horeca and food service industries in Spain. By sourcing locally and sustainably, they stay true to the traditions of authentic pasta making while breaking free of conventions, embracing bold colors, unconventional shapes, and out-of-the-box flavor combinations. Pasta Libertina’s philosophy is simple: "Straight paths are boring; that's why Libertina always walks in zigzags."
With a passion for experimentation and creativity, Pasta Libertina sought to push the boundaries of what fresh pasta could be. When they discovered Agrain's spent grain flour, they found an innovative solution to their challenge of integrating sustainability into their product without compromising on taste, texture, or appearance.
The Challenge
Pasta Libertina was on a mission to enhance sustainability and embrace circularity in their production. They had experimented with bagasse, a by-product from breweries, but faced issues as it arrived wet and didn't add much flavor or texture to their pasta. Additionally, they were eager to innovate and find ways to bring new, exciting flavors and textures to their pasta, while keeping it both healthy and delicious.
The Solution
In their quest for innovation, Pasta Libertina turned to Agrain's spent grain flour to develop three unique applications:
- Gyozas: Pasta Libertina used Agrain’s 03 Spent Grain Flour to craft the dough for their gyozas. The flour’s deep flavor and natural color beautifully complemented the chosen fillings, making the gyoza dough an exciting new offering in both taste and visual appeal.
- Ramen Noodles: Inspired by the look of traditional soba noodles, Pasta Libertina incorporated Agrain’s 02 Spent Grain Flour into their ramen noodles. The result? A noodle with a more authentic appearance and an enhanced texture that resonated with their customers.
- Raviolis: By replacing wholewheat flour with Agrain’s 01 Spent Grain Flour, Pasta Libertina overcame a major texture issue. Previously, the coarse texture of the wholewheat left unpleasant hard spots. With Agrain’s flour, they achieved a smoother texture for their beef stew-filled ravioli, offering a superior mouthfeel and a healthier, more nutritious product.
Impact
The collaboration with Agrain transformed Pasta Libertina’s pasta line, introducing a range of innovative, healthier options. By incorporating spent grain flour, they improved the nutritional content, texture, and overall sensory experience of their pasta products. As a result, Pasta Libertina has seen a growing demand for their “healthy” pasta line, attracting customers who previously only ordered pasta made with white flour. The collaboration not only brought Pasta Libertina closer to their sustainability goals but also gave them a competitive edge with a more innovative, high-quality product.
Their bold approach to pasta-making, paired with Agrain's sustainable ingredients, has made a lasting impact on their product offerings and customer base.
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"Libertina is a fresh pasta workshop where we strive to create artisan pasta using natural ingredients. In our quest to develop unique and innovative recipes, we discovered Agrain and its spent grain flour. We've used it to make stuffed pasta, including ravioli and gyozas, as well as ramen noodles. We are particularly impressed by the elasticity it brings to the pasta.
In our ravioli dough made with whole wheat flour, the bran was quite noticeable, resulting in a coarse texture. However, with Agrain, the texture has improved significantly—becoming much finer and more pleasant on the palate. The dough is now more homogeneous and elastic, with none of the hard particles that we experienced when using whole wheat flour. Additionally, when working with spent grain flours, we find that we need to add 4 to 5% more water to the mixture, which ultimately gives us a higher yield in the final dough."
Francisco Gil, Co-Founder & Chef