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Product Origin – Geographic Features:
The zone of production lies between San Carlos de Bariloche and Esquel, in the province of Chubut. The region has the following productive advantages:
Very cold winters, with moderate summers during the day and cold nights as well as low humidity. These climatic characteristics impede any development of insects or pests.
A low population and a total absence of environmental contamination.
The irrigation of the plantations comes directly from glacial rivers. The plantations are between 750 to 1200 meters above sea level.
The plantations are not fumigated, and no chemical additives or pesticides are used in its production.
The plantations are cultivated in small farms of the Bolson, Lago Puelo and Bariloche districts. Their varieties of fruits exist according to their origin: the wild and the cultivated.
Wild plants consist of 40 % of the total production, being the collection of the fruits the sole human activity.
Production:
The fruits are harvested during the morning, after being watered by aspersion and collecting only those fruits which are just at the ripening point. Before the surrounding temperatures increase, they are classified and sent to the factory for manufacturing.
The manufacturing of comfitures is produced within twelve hours of the collection of the fruits, thus avoiding oxidation ,the use of chemical preservatives and the loss of natural gelling agents.
Once in the factory, the fresh fruits are classified and placed in large shallow pans for their evaporation and cooking. First an evaporation process is performed to concentrate the natural juices of the fruits before proceeding then to cook in stainless steel pans (according to A.S.I. 316) by means of vapor, in order to mantain a uniform and constant temperature in all the pans and avoid the caramelizing of the sugar. The temperature never exceeds 100 degrees Celsius, therefore the vitamins of the fruit are maintained throughout. Once the process of cooking is completed, they are directly bottled into jars and covered in the same instant, vacuuming out any air.
Characteristics of the product:
The manufactured products are comfitures with a concentration of sugars ranging from 50 to 55 degrees Brix.
The comfitures do not possess preservatives or chemical dyes. Their consistency is more liquid than that of a marmalade, the entire fruit, or its pieces of the fruit can be appreciated and, as there is a greater proportion of fruit than sugar.
Together with the effect of vaporized cooking, they are conserved better as the fragrances of the fruit remain in their natural state. A very important characteristic of our product is that our fruits do not freeze; they are manufactured and harvested maintaining all their original qualities.
PACKAGING:
The presentations of our products come in glass jars with an axial cover, with a net weight of 454 grams (1 pound) per unit. They are packaged in boxes of cardboard containing twelve units, each separated individually within the box.
The jars possess labels with fruit pictures of the fruit in its real size, with name of the fruit both in Spanish and English, as well as nutritional information labels. While remained closed, the jars has an ideal period of consumption of four years.
Once opened it must be refrigerated.
Harvest Season:
The harvest season begins in November and ends in May, being impossible to manufacture the comfitures beyond these dates. The climatic conditions of each season affect the volumes of fruit harvested.
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