Maybe the time of crisps and peanuts as snacks is not over just yet - a new snack has arrived directly from Basilicata which will surely conquer the international markets. We are talking about Cruskees, crusco pepper chips that are a true innovation for this segment. We discussed them with Vincenzo Esposito Langella, marketing manager and co-owner of Novafood.

Set up in early 2017, Novafood expresses the passion for local produce and everything that represents whats best in Italy. The other partners are Sergio Sarli, Jacopo Mele and Alessandro Coviello.

"Cruskees are a single snack with three ingredients: crusco peppers, oil and salt. Even though our chips are fried, they are light, easily digestible and dont contain preservatives and colouring agents. They are packaged in a protected atmosphere to preserve the product fresh and fragrant for up to six months. We can process 1,500 packets an hour." 

"We currently have 100 hectares all over Basilicata and are looking for additional land. We know it is a niche product, but our business is young and we have decided to procure our raw material as independently as we can." 

"The origins of crusco peppers date back to the 16th-17th century, when the plant found optimal conditions to grow in the local area. Further selecions made this pepper different from all the others, both in shape and flavour."

"Crusco peppers have a distinctive sweet note. The small dimensions and particularly thin flesh make them truly unique. They have a deep red colour and the stem is so attached to the rest that it remains in place also during the drying stage. This way, we can create serte, i.e. braids around 2 metres long that are placed in the sun. When the water content reaches 10%, they are ready to be eaten or fried."

"Two formats are available at the moment: a 15 gram luxury pack available on our e-commerce platform and a 40 gram packet perfect for the H&R sector. Our objective is to make our premium snack available all over the domestic territory and abroad as well. Crusco peppers are rich in vitamin B and C and in natural antioxidants."