LA GENTILE COMPANY

La Gentile was founded in 1964 by the Canova family. Today the family still owns and completely handles the management of the company. Ours is one of the most important companies for the processing of Piedmont hazelnuts and dried nuts in general. We have two production sites which employ about 35 people. The most modern machinery has been installed which allows us to produce more than 3,500 metric tonnes a year, spread between raw hazelnuts, semi processed products and different types of dried nuts, originating both from Italy and abroad.

- The first site buys the hazelnuts in their shells directly from the hazelnut producers. Here they are mainly cleaned of impurities, such as stones and other foreign bodies. Then they undergo the shelling process with accurate selection into separate subdivisions.

- The second site produces semi processed hazelnuts: Whole, prime choice, roasted; various different sized chops; chops coated with sugar and/ or cocoa powder; refined paste; creams and other semi processed dried nut products, both raw and roasted.

Our products make up the natural ingredients for chocolate, ice-creams, sweets, biscuits, pastries and sweet products in general. All our production is carried out only and exclusively on specifications provided by our clients a few days before dispatch, absolutely "just in time": this means a better Shelf-Life, conservation and stability of the products over time.

The complete production line is strictly controlled from a qualitative, security, productive and analytical point of view, following the guide lines of the H.A.C.C.P. (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) method and therefore we can send auto certified analyses with each dispatch.

The main waste product of hazelnut processing is the shell, which has a high calorific value and a very low environmental impact, as it is an eco-sustainable product. For this reason we have equipped all our premises with special thermo-enhancing equipment for heat generation both for heating purposes and for the drying machines. In this way the fossil fuel used for the generation of heat has been completely substituted by hazelnut shells, to safeguard the surrounding environment. In addition, as La Gentile is a food production company, this allows us also to guarantee a healthier production area and to safeguard the quality of the product.