Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil, 28 oz, 6-pack

About this item

• The Bianco DiNapoli line is a collaboration between Chris Bianco and Rob DiNapoli. Chris had great ideas for a perfect type of tomato, inspired by his Italian heritage but made organically in California. Rob had the experience and expertise to be able to produce exactly what he was looking for, and a new product line was born.
• Each tomato after harvest is transported by water into the sorter to maintain the integrity of the fruits, and avoid crushing those on the bottom. As they float into the sorters, they are then seperated first by size, and then second for damaged units. Those which got crushed are kept and used to make tomato paste and ketchup, while those which are intact are steam peeled and go on to the canning process.
• Each can is hermetically sealed in a BPA free can, with organic heat treated puree going over the top. The consistency is very thick of the tomatoes, and nothing goes to waste. The process is resource intensive, and every bit is valuable. There is nothing to pour off when opening the can.
• Depending on conditions of the crop, the only preservative which goes into the can is a small amount of citric acid which is a natural preventative of microorganisms after the processing. These tomatoes are not treated with pesticides or any chemicals for preservation otherwise, and the flavor and freshness reflects this.
• Rob DiNapoli is the mastermind behind the logistics and science of the tomato business, and the DiNapoli family has been in the canning and packing business in Northern California since 1938. More recently, DiNapoli has gone from packing product for other brands to focusing on their own high end foodservice and retail lines.
• Initially, Chris's idea was just to have tomatoes only, but after thousands of taste tests, a little bit of salt and just a few leaves of Basil was added. The basil maintains the flavor of the harvest. Chris mentioned a reference to chef Heston Blumenthal, who suggested cooking a sauce with the tomato leaves and vine intact to capture the entire flavor spectrum.
• The whole tomatoes in the yellow label are in a thick puree, and are intact. Not too hard, not too soft, just perfect texture. Chris crushed them by hand for about 7 minutes going from a food service size can, and then adds salt and basil to taste. The crushed blue label product is exactly the same tomatoes as the yellow label, but already crushed. The fire roasted version are the whole tomatoes roasted, then crushed, which creates a special flavor profile to satisfy many receipes.