Afeltra

Afeltra, officially Premiato Pastificio Afeltra, is a pasta maker in Gragnano, Campania. According to the history on the company's website, the Afeltra family founded it in 1848, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The factory survived two world wars, durum wheat shortages and the 1980 earthquake, after which it was restructured. In 2004 Afeltra joined the Eataly group and returned to small volumes of 50–80 quintals of pasta a day. About 20 pasta makers work in the historic 1848 building on Via Roma.

The pasta is made as Pasta di Gragnano IGP. The semolina comes from 100% Italian durum wheat from Apulia, and the water from the Lattari Mountains, low in calcium. The dough is extruded through bronze dies and dried slowly in static cells for 2–3 days at no more than 50 °C, then rested for another 12–24 hours. The company stresses that it uses no additives and checks raw materials in its own laboratory.

The range has five lines: Afeltra 100% Grano Italiano, the core long and short shapes (spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, paccheri, rigatoni, penne); the organic Afeltra Biologica 100% Grano Italiano; the wholegrain Afeltra Integrale Bio 100% Grano Italiano; Afeltra Cavaliere Olimpio Formati Speciali, with traditional large Gragnano shapes; and Afeltra Pasta Fatta a Mano, hand-rolled fusilli. The factory also offers guided tours.