Where Cynara artichokes come from and how they are made
Buyers ask two things about a seasonal crop: will it be there all year, and will it be the same every time? Cynara’s sourcing and production are organized around those two questions.
Supply first
Cynara has growing fields in Peru, Spain and Italy and produces from those three origins, within a global sourcing network designed to avoid supply problems. Harvest management is aimed at permanent product availability, and the catalogs state it plainly: product available 365 days a year.
Consistency
Process consistency is the second commitment. Cynara’s stated aim is product standardization, so that a repeat order matches the last one. Production runs in the company’s own factory, with quality checks in its own facilities and its own laboratory, and production processes are certified to the international IFS standard.
Harvest
Artichoke hearts for the In Brine range are picked by hand and selected. Artichoke Chyps start from fresh artichokes, also harvested and selected by hand. Chyps won the best snack product award in the fried snack category at Spain’s 14th Seminario del Aperitivo in 2018.
How each range is made
The ingredient lists on the product sheets tell most of the story.
| Range | Process | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| In Brine | Hand-picked hearts, packed in jars and cans by count | Artichoke hearts, water, salt, citric acid |
| Seasoned | Harvested, cooked, packed and marinated in their own spiced oil | Artichoke, oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, spices |
| Steamed | Steam-cooked and pasteurized in the tray | 100% artichoke, halved or quartered |
| Confits | Flowers confit in extra virgin olive oil, the only oil used | Artichoke and extra virgin olive oil (7.9%) |
| Delights | Artichoke hearts in a shrink-wrapped plastic tray | Artichoke, water, salt, citric acid, ascorbic acid |
| Snacks | Fresh artichokes, fried into Chyps | Artichoke, high oleic sunflower oil, salt |
Two points matter in the kitchen and in the warehouse. Most of the Seasoned recipes declare mustard among their spices, so check the sheet for each product. Steamed and Confits ranges are chilled lines, stored between 0 and 4 °C and protected from light sources. Confit artichoke flowers are ready in under 10 minutes.
Formats by range
In Brine comes in glass jars from 212 to 1,000 ml and in ½ kg and 3 kg cans, with sizes running from Pearls and Mini Baby to Large, plus quartered and sliced cuts. Seasoned runs from 212 ml jars to 3 kg cans. Steamed comes in 160 g trays and in 680 g boxes holding two 340 g trays. Confits come in 100, 200, 1,100 and 1,400 g trays. Every product sheet gives net and drained weight, units per case and cases per pallet, so you can plan a load before you place an order.
Innovation
Cynara describes its development work as a 360° innovation model, from origin to table: formulation, analysis, packaging, legislation and production are handled together. See the R&D page.
Packaging and waste
Trays are made of recyclable plastic and are BPA free. Pallets ship shrink-wrapped. Cynara has also set itself a zero-waste goal.
