Puratos has launched Sapore Lavida, the first completely traceable active sourdough produced in Belgium. The new ingredient is made exclusively with 100% whole wheat flour sourced from regenerative agriculture practices, enabling bakers across mainland Europe to meet growing demand for locally-produced, sustainably-sourced sourdough products. In all applications, Sapore Lavida reportedly offers a tangy flavor profile with fruity, balanced lactic and acetic notes, and it enhances fiber content in white bread too.
The launch also signals the start of an ongoing collaboration between Puratos and several farming cooperatives, gathering vital insights into regenerative agriculture to help improve sustainability across the wider bakery industry. The latest addition to Puratos’s Sapore range of sourdough products, Sapore Lavida was created as a result of partnerships with farmers located less than 200km from Puratos’s factory who are pioneering regenerative agriculture. It includes high-quality, regenerative whole wheat flour, sourced through cooperatives including Cultivae and Farm For Good, ensuring a transparent and traceable supply chain from farm to fork.
“By committing to purchase a defined volume of a crop before it is sewn and focusing its own R&D and marketing efforts on products that use regenerative crops, Puratos is ensuring farmers are not only paid fairly for today, but can invest further in regenerative agriculture for tomorrow too,” according to Frederik Lievens, chief product officer, Puratos.
Regenerative agriculture is at the heart of Puratos's responsible sourcing strategy. This approach to farming can enhance soil health, increase biodiversity, and reduce carbon emissions, thereby contributing to the decarbonization of the food supply chain and aligning with the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increases below 2°C.
Moving forward, Puratos will leverage its Sapore Lavida partnerships with farming cooperatives to explore the impact of regenerative agriculture on crops, to find the most effective way to improve soil health and the extent that these methods can reduce the carbon footprint of end products. This ongoing research will be key to encouraging manufacturers to diversify their product portfolio with regeneratively farmed ingredients more widely across the bakery industry.
“As consumers become increasingly conscious of the environmental impact their food choices have, we’re leading the way in offering sustainable, high-quality ingredients for the bakery, patisserie and chocolate industries. Sapore Lavida is a prime example of how innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand, allowing bakers to offer consumers products that align with their values and beliefs,” continues Lievens.
He adds: "Our commitment to sustainability isn’t just about reducing our environmental impact here and now; it's about creating a positive change for many more years to come. Sapore Lavida is a testament to our belief that it is possible to produce innovative food ingredients in a way that benefits the planet and supports our agricultural communities."
Sapore Lavida is an integral part of Puratos’s plan to create a more sustainable, regenerative future in food production. The company currently produces sourdoughs in twelve countries worldwide and is working on a broader sustainable farming strategy in the US, Australia, the UK, Italy and Turkey. The company also plans to extend its range of products made with regenerative ingredients, including a rye sourdough.
