By Delainey Muscato
St.Bonaventure
Back in 2001, Betsy Morando and her husband, Adolph Morando, saw an opportunity to create a product the market had been missing, seasoned salts. I spoke with Betsy about that experience and how the company has changed since its inception. Betsy told me, “There was a vision. It started with a family recipe that came from northern Italy. We decided to test the market and it was very favorable. And at that point we were the only seasoned salts available. We were the pioneers of that for sure”. Being the originals in the seasoned salt market allowed them to perfect their Original Blend recipe, which continues to be their best-seller. From the Original Blend came seven new flavors. Borsari played with their original ingredients – fresh garlic, rosemary, basil, nutmeg, and black pepper along with some new herbs – to create Citrus, Orange Ginger, Savory, Tuscan Rosemary Sage, Everything Bagel, Cracked Pepper, and Coffee. “They’re all somewhat a derivative of the original blend, except for the coffee and the everything bagel” Betsy said. She also mentioned that the Citrus blend is very popular and the newest seasoning, Tuscan Rosemary Sage, is doing very well in the market thus far. Betsy commented that her personal favorite was the Savory blend.
All these ingredients are carefully and expertly infused into sea salts through drying and remixing processes. The whole operation takes several days to complete, but the care and time put into their craft is apparent in the exquisite taste of each seasoning. After learning about this extensive process, I was curious about their facilities. A recent press release from Borsari Food Company mentions, “New equipment, additional frozen storage capabilities,” and new personnel. I asked Betsy to elaborate a bit on their equipment at their Jamestown headquarters. She said, “We have an SQF certified facility, SQF standing for “Safety Quality Food”. It’s one of the higher standards in the food industry”. In addition to their highly capable facility, they use only the freshest ingredients. Betsy noted that they receive fresh ingredients weekly from all over the country in order to create the highest quality products.
Their tagline of “The World’s Best Seasoning” could not be more true. Betsy told me, “We’re always bringing in all fresh all natural herbs to make our seasoning. There are no MSG, fillers, or preservatives”. In addition to smaller specialty food stores around the country, they also hold accounts in bigger chain grocery stores like Whole Foods, Wegmans, Sprouts, and more. Their newest account, however, is with the Prepared Foods section at Wegmans. “Their rosemary rotisserie chicken is seasoned with Borsari Tuscan Rosemary Sage seasoned salt” Betsy told me.
The press release from the company also mentions, “What started in the kitchen of Betsy and Adolph Morando has expanded to a new facility with increased production capabilities, storage space, and office space”. Borsari plans to continue expanding and opening new accounts to make Borsari seasonings available to as many people as possible. When asked how she personally uses the seasonings, Betsy told me, “Our seasonings are very versatile. They’re good with meat, seafood, and vegetables. It makes a great bread dipping with olive oil. You could add it to a salad or soup. It just simply makes your food taste better”.
The Borsari Food Company website has even more information including where to buy and recipes for every meal using the seasonings. You can also buy gift packs directly from their website. In addition to their delicious seasoned salts, Borsari makes a Bloody Mary Mix, a Bloody Mary Rimming Salt, and distributes a Spanish Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.