Tag: delicious

SMAF Ltd: Quality Control Tailored for the Food Industry

12.2.2018

When you see our trademark on the products we delivery, you can feel safe about the fact that this mark is synonymous with quality and guarantee.

Market is increasingly demanding and requires always more information and certainties. Having a quality trademark which may allow to recognise and guarantee the product is essential. Our mark of Genuine Mediterranean Food and Beverage of Calabria has set itself this important aim since its foundation: the quality trademark and the guarantee label are the answer.

The Quality Trademark “SMAF Ltd” was created with exact purposes:

  1. certifying the Italian origin of the product, respecting environment,
  2. attesting the naturalness of food and beverage (no matter if Bergamot, Oil, Wine, Dairy or Salami),
  3. ensuring the high level of the process in full respect of the rules.

We’re dealing as a Society which loves to provide the Best and Authentic Mediterranean Food (we are S.M.A.F., a Society for Authentic Mediterranean Food) in accordance with a hard technical regulation that associated suppliers have decided to introduce. The aim is to promote the characteristics of Calabrian Food and to have it recognized throughout the world.

SMAF mark on our products is an informative tag that certificates the originality and naturalness of Calabrian Food, supplied by us or by our member producers.

Why the SMAF Ltd Guarantee label?
It will be an added value for the products, identifying a natural food and beverage (Bergamot, Dairy, Salami, Wine, Oil), ensuring the end consumer about the quality of his purchase and making him more conscious of what he buys.

 

THE HIGHEST QUALITY F&B PRODUCTS 

All of our associated supplier manufacturing facilities adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to safeguard quality and supply of our products.
Their sites are approved by their respective Safety, quality and national health authorities, sometimes they also got the high regarded compliance with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

We ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate for their intended use and as required by the Market Authorization.

We take quality and safety seriously, knowing that consumers deserve the best products. This principle guides every process we undertake, and shapes everything we build and create. This is how we meet and exceed customers’ and regulators’ expectations of quality and safety.

We continually assess the safety and quality of our food and beverage products. In this rapidly changing health care environment, we also look to design processes, process controls and customer feedback so we are sure we always meet the needs of our customers.

OUR QUALITY POLICY

We are committed to providing our customers and regulators with products and services that meet or exceed their expectations of safety, high-quality performance, reliability and service.

Our commitment to quality drives every aspect of our business processes and decision-making. We foster a culture of quality everywhere we do business. This means communicating our expectations to all employees and partners.

We monitor all product life-cycle stages to assess opportunities for improvement, including: manufacturing, marketing and promotion, storage, handling, distribution, use and service.

We are also subject to a variety of regulations and standards for products and quality management systems that ensure product labeling information, including marketing materials, is accurate and controlled. For all of our products, we employ robust labeling design processes directed at creation, review and approval of device labeling that is consistent with the applicable laws and regulations of all countries where we sell products. We strive to adhere to all applicable labeling standards and where necessary, include information regarding the sourcing of ingredients for the safe and effective use of our products.

 

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

In support of our commitment, we have established global processes and procedures that allow customers to provide feedback. Information regarding device performance or services rendered is routinely reviewed so that customer feedback is a primary input to our continuous improvement mechanisms and to ensure the best quality.

 

CONTROL TAILORED FOR THE F&B INDUSTRY

Every year, hundreds of beverages get recalled due to cross-contamination with allergens, spoilage and fermentation, fears of plastic contamination, use of banned chemicals, and other safety concerns. To safeguard the quality of beverages supplied to the market, manufacturers must ensure compliance of the product’s components, packaging, and production processes at every stage.

SMAF Ltd offers extensive testing and quality control for all categories of beverages, helping brands and retailers preserve product quality from factory to shelf. We conduct or make conduct on-site inspections, audits, and lab tests to make sure that your beverages are manufactured, stored, and shipped in accordance with your specifications, and meet the safety standards of your destination market. For example the following standards:

  • Production monitoring and process control
  • Hygiene and GMP audits
  • Packaging checks and testing
  • Microbiological tests
  • Tests to identify pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants
  • Shelf life and stability
  • Beverage Lab Testing Expertise
  • Ingredient identification

Among controlled substances we can list:

  • Pesticide residue (plant-based ingredients)
  • Antibiotic testing (animal-derived ingredients)
  • Allergen and cross-contamination testing
  • Plasticizer contaminants
  • Trace elements
  • Unknown contaminants
  • Heavy metals
  • Sugar, acids, sugar alcohols (juices)
  • Water quality
  • Wine pollutants.

San Vito Di Luzzi, the wine prized by the ancient Romans

10.2.2018

Drinking a glass of San Vito di Luzzi Wine is your personal jump into an ancient tradition, that of a nectar prized by the ancient Romans, and in less remote times by the Cistercian Monks, who settled in the small village of San Vito di Luzzi, in the north of Cosenza, the famous Monastery of Sambucina.

The presence of the monastery gave a further boost to the production of wine at Luzzi, and now this authentic piece of Calabrian and Mediterranean gastronomy is important, in defining the identity of our cuisine, just like local bergamot, salami, dairy, honey, fruit and all other flavors of the territory.

 

LOCATION

Nowadays, San Vito di Luzzi is a sub-region of the protected area of Terre di Cosenza DOC. It was once a DOC in its own right, but was subsumed into the Terre di Cosenza in 2011, along with its neighbors Donnici, Pollino and Verbicaro.

In well-exposed vineyards, located in the village of San Vito in the municipality of Luzzi, in the province of Cosenza, the homonymous wine is produced in the following types: red, white and “rosato”.

Given that it is named after San Vito village (in the parish of Luzzi), located in the hills of Calabria’s northwestern coastline, this wine is mainly made in the village of Luzzi. This small town situated on the lower slopes of the Sila National Park is the only authorized, according to the Regulations, to make production of this wine, which must come from local vineyards.

However, for the production of the red, white and rosé wines, many non-native varieties are used; for example, some of them come from the Sangiovese vine.

The territory is that in front of the Tyrrhenian Sea and under the large Sila Plateau. These areas are vital factors in creating the viticulturally suited microclimate here. Precisely, the volume of waters surrounding the Calabrian peninsula are a vital component in the local terroir, helping to moderate the intense heat of south Italian summer.

The mountainous topography around Luzzi helps to channel air up and down the valleys, providing a more stable environment in which to grow healthy vines.

 

HISTORY

After an oblivion of 2000 years, this wine has now a well-deserved but discreet renown. The San Vito di Luzzi D.O.C. was established in 1994, combining the area’s ancient winemaking traditions with qualities that can be appreciated by the modern consumer.

Even if produced in the tiny municipality of Luzzi in the province of Cosenza, this remote area of Calabria has an ancient history. The ancient Romans prized the wine, while after some centuries the Cistercian Monks settled here and built the famous Monastery of Sambucina, which increased and improved the production of wine at Luzzi.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the remote winemaking is the magical combination of geological and climatic conditions, with the work of Monks.

This explains why you can find an unbelievable combination of fragrances and perfumes into the wine of such tiny territory, giving rise to a superior quality wine.

 

FEATURES

San Vito di Luzzi was introduced as a DOC title in October 1994, a year before Verbicaro just to the north. Both wines were granted the status almost 20 years after the other DOCs in northwestern Calabria, making them the relative newcomers to the Calabrian quality wine scene. However, they did not gain any traction as a distinctive wine appellation, and as a result, both were absorbed as sub-regions of the Terre di Cosenza DOC introduced in 2011.

The grapes used to make Terre di Cosenza San Vito di Luzzi wines are typically Calabrian vine varieties. The most commonly used of these is Gaglioppo, but Malvasia Nera, Greco Nero and Sangiovese are also used. The local white wines are based on Malvasia Bianca and Greco Bianco.

The San Vito di Luzzi Doc wine generally has a minimum alcohol content, ranging from 10.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees for either the white or the red.

The typical red has an intense dry flavor and velvety red color. The rosé is a mild aroma and flavor although dry, cool and elegant with a minimum alcohol content of 11 degrees. The white has a yellowish color with a more or less intense flavor and pleasant aroma.

Speaking more precisely of “San Vito di Luzzi Rosso” (red), it comes from Gaglioppo grapes (70% minimum), Malvasia grapes and any other red-berry vines, including Greco nero and Sangiovese; it has a more or less intense ruby ​​red color, is pleasant, delicate, has a characteristic smell, dry and velvety flavors. The minimum alcohol content is 11.5°, perfect for every meal.

With regard to “San Vito di Luzzi Bianco” (white), its grapes are white Malvasia and Greco, with the possible addition of other white grapes (maximum 40%). The wine, coming from such blend, has a more or less intense straw color, has pleasant smell, dry, harmonious and delicate flavors.
The minimum alcohol content is 10.5°; its typical use is as appetizer.

“San Vito di Luzzi Rosato” (rosè) is made with the same grapes of the red Gaglioppo (minimum 70%), of Malvasia and of any other red-berry vines, among which the Greco Nero and the Sangiovese. It has a more or less intense pink color sometimes with orange hues, is delicate, has characteristic smell and fresh, dry, harmonious, elegant flavors. The minimum alcohol content is 11°, perfect for every dinner.