Two lectures by Wilden.herbals: our experiences at Casadonna and at UNISG

Wilden.herbals is something more than a simple organic herbal teas brand; it’s a proud ambassador of a new approach starting from food education and ending with the rediscovery of healthy and tasty ingredients. We think it’s inconceivable to spread our herbal teas’ organic philosophy without first educating consumers and experts. And with education we mean sharing a specific know-how with devotion and passion: not only with the final product but being present in restaurants and bars or meeting people and friends to network and to create a virtuous circle. From this premise, here’s the experience made by Nicola Robecchi, one of the founders of Wilden.herbals.
In late May 2021 we had a very busy period. In just one week we took part in two events, two important occasions for our future and the path we’re building: we organized two training moments for two dynamic and inspiring realities for us, Casadonna – the boutique hotel of Niko Romito (chef owner at Ristorante Reale), and the Food Lab of the University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) in Pollenzo.

At Casadonna, Niko Romito’s boutique hotel: a sensorial tasting

When we went to Abruzzo to meet Cristiana and Niko Romito for the first time it was February 2021 and we were super excited to get their invitation. In the following weeks, as the reopening of hotels and restaurant drew closer and closer and we got the first order of our herbal teas by Niko, we were invited to come back to Casadonna, this time to share our world to their hospitality team: a world made up of herbs cut for tea, specifically designed to match guests’ mood throughout the day with warmth and delicacy.

It was an important opportunity for growth and discussion with some curious and experienced hospitality experts. It was really nice to introduce the herbal teas world to them and to share all about our Remedia line and all the details of our wild adventure. Nicola Robecchi created a training and tasting workshop and invited chef Niko Romito and his team to embark on a journey into the essence of a still unexplored beverage, herbal tea. The secret behind every place is always people: that’s the beauty of Casadonna, in the details and in the care of a passionate team. In our small way we can say we have contributed to add some juicy tiny details to the guests’ experience and all this makes us proud. We wish Casadonna and Ristorante Reale good luck for this new restart after months dedicated to studies and research and we thank everyone for the wonderful welcome.

At UNISG’s Food Lab: the chemistry behind herbal teas

Between 2007 and 2010 our founder Nicola Robecchi has spent three unforgettable years as a student at University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) in Pollenzo. If Wilden.herbals has now enough strength, energy and passion, it is certainly also thanks to those precious years of experiences and passionate research to create a better and more sustainable food world with a powerful cultural impact.
Carol Povigna, UNISG Food Lab director, contacted us in early 2021 to ask to design a little lesson on herbs cut for tea to be included in the Infusion & Extraction module of the Master of Applied Gastronomy held by prof. Leonardo Scaglioni (University of Milan): Nicola was incredulous at first, so happy to be invited back to the university he had attended. And above all he was grateful for the opportunity to contribute, as alumni, and to share an insight of a topic he loves so much and which is at the heart of what we do daily with Wilden.

It was nice to study again and to find ourselves in class again to share our knowledge, methods and processes to mix plants and herbs and to develop new well-balanced products – all this in the most natural and open source way possible.
It has been a little over two years since we started this wild adventure yet we still find ourselves, month after month, building a new path in the world of infusions. Through education and passion we want to create a new scenario in order to make this sector evolve and give it all the credits it deserves. Infusions are indeed a cultural tradition to be recovered and promoted as a food ingredient or paired with dishes for a dinner. It was really exciting to be able to confront ourselves with the students, with Carol and the beautiful ecosystem she’s created as a cook and teacher. It’s nice to know that there are passionate people who are training to have an impact on cooking, hospitality and food supply chains. People who are constantly evolving to help make mealtimes an educational, training experience: many exciting paths able to make the best of a territory through its raw materials. 
It is nice, as Wilden.herbals, to contribute and participate to foster growth and training processes. Lecturing or organizing a hospitality workshop are special moments where teachers become students and where hosts feel like guests.