Milk

Pitango Gelato's dairy, located on Pennsylvania's Spring Wood Organic Farm, is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and is a Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PACO) dairy. The main reason we went through the rigorous process of certification as an organic dairy is to be able to process our own milk. This allows us to buy raw milk directly from the farmer of our choice. Having full control of our main ingredient more than justifies the higher cost and effort.
Pasteurization is part of the process of making gelato. Because every time milk is heated its quality is compromised, we start making our product with raw milk and pasteurize it only once as we prepare each batch. This gentle method preserves the milk's integrity by avoiding double pasteurization. For city dwellers, our gelato might be the closest thing to fresh organic cow's milk that they'll ever taste.

Eggs

Fresh egg yolks are still the best emulsifier nature has to offer and the only one we use. We crack and separate our farm-fresh eggs by hand to create Crema Gelato and other flavors. We use the eggs on the very same day they are laid. Spring Wood Organic Farm's eggs are nothing like the ones you find in your local supermarket (where "Grade A" eggs may legally be a month old); their incredibly clean taste and bright yellow color are evident in some of our more delicate recipes.

Nocciola (Hazelnut)

Also known as filberts, hazelnuts have been grown in southern Europe for many centuries. As a matter of fact, in Italy Nocciola is the third most popular ice cream flavor. The delicate silky taste and aroma makes this a totally addictive flavor. To compensate for the hazelnut's elevated fat content, we use less cream in this recipe. We use only imported "Nocciola di Piemonte, Tonda Gentile delle Langhe (IGP)."

Pistachios

Pistachios are grown in the Middle East (Iran and Turkey) and California. Few people are aware of Italian pistachios because precious little of the crop is exported. One particular Italian variety, Bronte "Pistachio di Bronte IGP," is cultivated on the slopes of Mount Etna, an active volcano. The nut is of different characteristics than the common pistachio; it has a longer shape with a brilliant green color and an intense flavor that cannot be imitated. As if to make matters a bit more complicated, the plant yields a crop only once in two years... so this is not a cheap or easy flavor to make.

Sugars

We use all organic unrefined cane and corn sugars and we strive to make our flavors balanced and not overly sweet, which can be a challenge. When judging sweetness we aim for the clean aftertaste.

Water

We use spring water for our sorbet. Our spring water is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and it is filtered and UVAed.

Vanilla

Our gelato is made with organically grown Papua New Guinea Bourbon vanilla beans, "Vanilla Planifilia." We use only real bean caviar, no extracts or pastes.

Fruits

We use organic fruit in season in our sorbets and source as much local fruit as possible. All of our sorbets are made only with fresh fruit. We do not use concentrates, flavorings, previously frozen or prepared fruits or anything that is not simply fresh fruit. We freeze our sorbet mix and then churn the gelato at our retail location, so this way you can enjoy our fresh fruit sorbet even when the season is over.