The family-owned company, Terravecchia was established about 60 years ago, quickly becoming a benchmark in Sicily for the production of chickpea flour, an essential ingredient in making Palermo’s famous panelle (chickpea fritters).
For the past 35 years, in its evolved role as selectors, packers, and distributors of dried legumes, it stands out in the Sicilian distribution landscape. Today, the brand Terravecchia legumes is part of the Materland group. Along with another production unit, Cerreto Bio, they focus on marketing top-quality products, ranging from legumes to dried fruits.
The original vision has always been to select and revalue the Sicilian agricultural products, delicacies that over time risked disappearing forever. From this commitment, the “Sole e gusto di Sicilia” – Sun and Flavor of Sicily – line was born: a selection that proudly represents the island’s native wholesomeness to the world, capturing its scents, fragrances, and flavors.
The Materland group today boasts a workforce of 24 people and revenue reaching $7.2 million. Over the past two decades, a significant supply chain agreement was developed with Sicilian farmers who sow and grow top-notch products, subsequently supplied to the company for processing. This agreement, evolving and intensifying year after year, now lets the group manage over 400 hectares of land.
The evolution of Terravecchia Legumi has seen the catalogue offered to consumers grow year by year. Among the primary native products, some also bearing the Slow Food mark, standout items include black lentils, Villalba lentils, Monreale red lentils, Ustica green lentils, the Polizzi badda bean, and the Scicli cosaruciaru bean.
Aiming to expand their reach beyond Italy’s borders, finding an exporter that can properly value such a fine product, Terravecchia is participating in the Made in Italy fair in Los Angeles, the Nexxt Expo.
Adorning a dedicated booth at the Sicily Show, organized for the occasion by IoComproSiciliano, will be dried fruits and legumes of exclusive Sicilian origin.
While their primary market is currently regional, the Materland group has already ventured into international collaborations. Specifically, their products have been exported to Malta, Germany, Spain, France, and Belgium.
In their product range, one can always trace the unique flavor of Sicily’s land, delicacies that inevitably resonate with the marine influences and the terrain where these gems are cultivated.
