Casa Corneli

For over a century the Corneli family has been closely tied to the land in San Vito in Monte, in the hills between Perugia and Orvieto. It is here, in the heart of Umbria, that Giuseppina (nicknamed Pinotta in her family), her husband Antonio, and their son Luigi passionately cultivate over 500 acres (200 hectares) of organic beans.

Pinotta and Antonio, professional dentists, spent their careers traveling back and forth from the University of Perugia to UC Irvine and UCLA to conduct dental research. As a result of their training, they have always taken a scientific and healthful approach to managing their farm.

While home, Pinotta made delicious homemade bean soups and bean pastes for her son to take back to Milan where he was attending college. Luigi spent some of his time promoting the family's olive oil production at various tradeshows in northen Italy. One day Luigi had the brilliant idea to bring his mother's bean pastes and soups to promote the olive oil, and it became a smashing success. They were so beloved, that Luigi was able to convince his mother to begin jarring and selling them. Now, Casa Corneli offers their spectacular beans dried, boiled, and in soups. 

Casa Corneli aims to offer beans as close to nature as possible. The entire production"from harvesting to drying, sorting to packaging"is done on their own farm. Casa Corneli was among the first farms in Umbria to become certified organic. Every year they rotate their crops, alternating between planting durum wheat, sunflowers, and legumes such as broad beans, chickpeas and cicerchie. This way they maintain the natural balance of the soil without having to resort to using synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. San Vito also has a very favorable climate and terrain; the area's soil characteristics, altitude, and sun exposure create perfect conditions for growing legumes. All of Casa Corneli's legumes are processed without the use of preservatives, additives, or flavorings.