Our Cassava Suppliers: The Bonilla Family
August 16, 2016
by Trisha
The Fresh Faces
Meet the Bonillas. They supply our Cassava!
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[column]Claudio Bonilla worked on a farm. He worked incredibly hard and 25 years ago he founded his very own farm for his family in Costa Rica. They now grow not only cassava but other fruit and vegetables like chayote, pumpkin, purple dasheen and eddoes. It’s a family business, and now that Claudio is 77 years old, his three children Laura, Vinicio and Alberto run the farm. The Bonillas are extremely dedicated to making sure that they’re a carbon neutral company. They often measure their carbon emissions and whenever this balance is thrown off, they compensate by supporting reforestation programs in their local area. They’ve also received Global ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) certification.[/column]
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[column]Claudio Bonilla worked on a farm. He worked incredibly hard and 25 years ago he founded his very own farm for his family in Costa Rica. They now grow not only cassava but other fruit and vegetables like chayote, pumpkin, purple dasheen and eddoes. It’s a family business, and now that Claudio is 77 years old, his three children Laura, Vinicio and Alberto run the farm. The Bonillas are extremely dedicated to making sure that they’re a carbon neutral company. They often measure their carbon emissions and whenever this balance is thrown off, they compensate by supporting reforestation programs in their local area. They’ve also received Global ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) certification.[/column]
[/columns_row]“We Export Freshness”
While we adore British farmers at the Fresh Farm, this month we’re creating lots of exciting Brazilian recipes for your boxes, so we needed cassava and finding it in the UK is extremely tough. So, when we found the Bonillas and heard their story and their mission, we were chuffed to work with them. Their slogan is “We export Freshness” – which we’re sure you’ll agree is fitting!
What’s so good about Cassava?
Cassava is a source of energy and contains more nutrients and proteins than other roots like potato. So, it is an ideal product for athletes!
Our Chef Victoria’s thoughts on Cassava:
“ Cassava is the golden child of Central and South America. It is a long, some might say phallic-looking tubular root vegetable. Other tubular root veggies include potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes. Not only is cassava delicious, but it is also incredibly versatile and can be used in much the same way as our humble friend the potato. Try mashing, roasting, steaming, baking or even chipping cassava for ultimate va-va-voom.
It can even be dehydrated to form a powder to make bread or dumplings. Cassava goes slightly yellow and translucent when cooked and has an earthy, slightly golden comforting taste. Cassava is often cooked in a very similar way to potato is cooked in England. Itcan be mashed, fried, roasted, and steamed or even sautéed.
