Maker · Vegetables
Fino Fresco: Italian greens available year-round from the field
About twenty Italian babyleaf varieties, sourced directly from growers from North to South Italy, available year-round. Fino Fresco delivers the greens that make your plate look different from the standard field salad box.
The story
Who's behind it
Fino Fresco is the premium brand of Gebr. De Mooij in Amsterdam, importer of Italian vegetables. The brand has existed since around 2008 and targets the top end of the market: catering that seeks exclusivity and Italian freshness. De Mooij buys directly from Italian growers, from north to south of the country. Through that spread across multiple growing areas, the assortment is available year-round, even when one area is out of season. The focus lies on babyleaf: about twenty Italian varieties, from corn salad and arugula to mizuna, tatsoi, red chard and bull's blood. In addition, ready-made mixes come in under the name mesclun, plus wild spinach and Sicilian sun-dried tomatoes.
What really makes it different
The leaves are picked as fresh as possible from the field, with root or as babyleaf, and go through strict quality control with full traceability. Packaging ranges from 125 to 1000 grams, so you order on the scale of your kitchen without throwing away half a kilo. Important detail for mise en place: washed babyleaf sits in the purple-red package, unwashed in green. So the chef knows right when it arrives what still needs a rinse. The taste is more pronounced than the average Dutch mix. The pepper of arugula and the light bitterness of the red varieties stand up under a warm component, where standard salad would wilt.
How to set yourself apart with this
Don't set the babyleaf aside as garnish but as flavor. A plate with only arugula, corn salad and red chard under seared fish reads differently than the standard field salad box. Use the mesclun as your steady base and shift the accent per season: more bitter leaves in winter, softer in spring. The wild spinach is smaller and punchier than regular spinach and doesn't collapse as much in the pan, so a handful per dish is enough. On the menu, the origin works: name it Italian babyleaf from Fino Fresco and the guest knows it's not from the supermarket bag. And because the same varieties come in year-round, you can simply keep a dish running without sitting without arugula in November.
“With the brand we're targeting the top of the market.”
Chef’s tip
Pay attention to package color. Washed babyleaf comes in the purple-red package, unwashed in green. If you want to do the final rinse and check yourself, grab unwashed. If it needs to go on the plate quickly, then washed.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Mesclun under seared fish
The babyleaf mix as a solid base under seared mackerel or sea bass, with the bitterness of the red varieties against the fat.
Wild spinach quickly through the pan
Smaller and punchier than regular spinach, doesn't collapse as much. A handful per dish as a bed or next to a poached egg.
Arugula and corn salad as a taste board
Loose varieties instead of a ready-made box, with the pepper of arugula that stands up under a warm component.
Red chard and bull's blood for color
The red leaves raw over a plate for color and a light bitterness, without arriving wilted.
For your menu
“Italian babyleaf from Fino Fresco, fresh year-round from the field in Italy.”
Products from Fino Fresco
What we carry from this maker
Loose babyleaf varieties
Including arugula, corn salad, mizuna, tatsoi, red chard and bull's blood
Prices and availability are in the portal. Not a customer yet? Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels. No contract, just tasting.