Biofach 2025 live: Sanapianta’s medicinal plants and Vita-Forte’s freeze-dried superfoods

At the ongoing Biofach trade show (11–14), Nutrition Insight connects with Sanapianta and Vita-Forte in Nuremberg, Germany, to discuss their advances in organic nutraceuticals. Sanapianta shows transformative cultivation of organic medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in Italy’s Umbria region and Vita-Forte presents freeze-dried superfoods.

Sanapianta’s Irene Tosti shares how the Italian agribusiness is focusing on organic MAPs and acting as an agent of change” in the traditional crop culture of the region Umbria, in Central Italy.

“The agri-revolution began with the establishment of Sanapianta in 2012. The company converted conventional fields with traditional crops of lucerne, wheat, and tobacco into organic fields and started cultivating MAPs. Since then, Sanapianta has worked closely with the local farming communities, also employing farmers of different ethnic groups, from Pakistan to Romania.”

“Sanapianta has shown local farmers’ families and businesses a way to move from low-margin conventional crops to organic crops with sustainable agricultural practices and higher margins.”

Tosti says Sanapianta’s product stands out with its organic MAPs for international customers in the herbal tea and nutraceutical industries.

“Both industries have strict regulations and high-quality standards that ensure food safety and consumers’ wellness. Active ingredients are of paramount importance for our customer segmentation and Sanapianta takes special care in all agricultural operations, including harvesting at the proper balsamic time for each plant. This is the time in which each MAP contains the maximum concentration of active ingredients and is richest in essential oil.”

Carlos Forte, co-founder and president of Viva-Forte.She adds: “Sanapianta follows good agricultural practices and respects the local habitat. Transparency and traceability are ensured through the EU certification system.”

Last year, the company started a new chapter by applying to the Fair For Life (FFL) certification standard.

“The development project that is linked to the FFL standard is focused on the establishment of a farmers’ group dedicated to the cultivation of organic MAPs. The project also includes a knowledge-sharing center with a strong impact on education and innovation in best agricultural practices,” says Tosti.

Freeze-dried superfoods 

Viva-Forte has been developing organic superfoods for over a decade. As a student, the company’s co-founder and president, Carlos Forte, believed many of the illnesses and health issues globally were linked to pesticides and the heavy use of synthetic materials on crops. 

“This only translates to bad health, and the best way to fight that was to dive into organic products — something you can give to people, knowing that it is produced respecting what the product best has to offer. No GMOs, no pesticides, and above all, respecting good manufacturing practices.”

Based on organic farming, Vita-Forte presents freeze-dried acai and coconut water powder, açaí, and yerba mate.

“Our coconut water is made from the best source of pure coconut water. It is cropped at the moment when it is freshest and most flavorful. Then, we freeze-dry it by removing water through sublimation, which is the best way of preserving nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in the product. We make it easy to transport and dosage into your drinks, snacks, etc. Coconuts are a great source of hydration, minerals, and more,” says Forte. Irene Tosti from Sanapianta.

With açaí and yerba mate being popular, Forte notes that “freeze-dried acai is the best superfood out there — the most well-rounded fruit I’ve ever seen directly from the Amazon jungle to the world. Our Yerba Mate is another great source of good caffeine and a fantastic tea.  One gram of our Yerba Mate makes 8 oz (224 ml) of tea.”

He adds that the company’s processing methods are very simple. “Once the raw materials arrive, we freeze-dry them and immediately pack to ship — there is no extra processing needed — just remove the water.”

“This makes it one of the very few industries that are water positive to the system—as we add ‘organic water’ to the system instead of taking it from the system. We don’t have pollutants, so all our processes are environmentally safe and secure.”

Nutrition Insight also spoke to IFOAM about how organic farming supports the nutrition industry in getting sustainable ingredients.

Also at Biofach, Vidya Europe is presenting its plant extracts and ingredients for functional food, nutraceutical, nutricosmetic, and cosmetic applications, and Tradin Organic is showcasing its ongoing sustainable coconut sugar project.