A French citrus fruit with a unique flavor, Corsican clementine is paired with French rose, carrot and bay leaf in the “Thirst for Glow” recipe for Autumn 2022-Winter 2023, created by Michelin-starred chef Toshitaka Omiya. An ultra-quality fruit that Phyltres sourced from Jean-Dominique Valentini (Atelier Corse fruits et vegetables) on the Island… of Beauty.
“Our workshop wants to express the very best of the Island through its crafted products,” begins Jean-Dominique Valentini, its founder and director. His goal: reconnect customers with the land, keep products natural, and promote an excellent craft while respecting the environment. Jean-Do (as friends call him) clearly offers “good, pure, beautiful.” The son and grandson of farmers, he grows Corsican clementines on four hectares of land. A citrus line whose reputation he helped restore upon returning from Brazil in 2017.
Corsican clementine is the last citrus fruit harvested in the Northern Hemisphere. Spanish and Italian ones arrive a month earlier on the shelves, leaving little room for the Corsican variety, picked from November 1st to January 1st. “We turned this handicap into an opportunity,” he explains. “We first promoted its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), obtained in 2007, and planted new low-density orchards.” Smaller and more tangy, the Corsican clementine is handpicked (the fruit never touches the ground) and always sold with two leaves. A distinctive sign showing the hand of the grower. From harvest to shelf, no more than six days pass, ensuring ultra-freshness. And the best part: it shows three different taste profiles during the season, from acidic to sweeter.Respectful of nature, people and fruit
Convinced of the strengths of this French-grown clementine and drawing on his work experience in Brazil, Jean-Do chose to build a processing site on the mainland. Atelier Corse - its name - helps reduce price gaps with clementines from other Mediterranean regions, while keeping the balance between fresh and processed fruit. It also promotes skills linked to clementine growing and creates a full value chain, from soil to industry partners. A winning bet! Five years later, Atelier Corse fruit and vegetable represents 65% of the sector, and 100% of growers are involved. In 2018, it processed 10 tons of fruit; by 2022, more than 2,000. A huge success driven by the quality of its juices, preparations based on fruit (mashed), frozen, essences and dried for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries worldwide. Phyltres also added its clementine juice to the “Thirst for Glow” recipe for Autumn 2022–Winter 2023.
Short on space to process more fruits like lemon, orange, kumquat, pomelo, lime, kiwi and apricot, Atelier Corse will move in early 2023 to a new 2,500 m² site in Linguizzetta, equipped with tools that gently respect the raw fruit.
A tireless entrepreneur, Jean-Do will soon produce a nepeta extract using this “Rolls” of cold pressing. Nepeta is the most fragrant herb of the Corsican maquis, also called “cat mint”, and widely used in cuisine. He plans to add this wild herb to a sparkling drink that should quickly become a best-seller in the growing non-alcoholic beverage market.