About Italian Seeds Pronto

We are a small-scale business who import and distribute within New Zealand the authentic vegetable and herb seed of Franchi Sementi dal 1783.

It is quite astounding to think, that this is a seed company which was formed only 14 years after Captain James Cook and astronomer Charles Green observed the transit of Mercury at Te Whanganui-a-hei (Mercury Bay), on the Coromandel Peninsula. An astute Sea Captain who ensured his crew had fresh vegetables daily to avoid the dreaded scurvy.

For more than 227 years, Franchi has been top of mind for discerning kitchen gardeners, and more recently high profile chefs throughout the world by offering their range of heirloom varieties, some dating back to the 17th and 18th century selected for superior taste rather than homogenised characteristics.

The diet of many New Zealanders has been influenced through accessibility to global travel and the discovery of fresh flavoursome Italian produce found in the many farmers markets and regional ristorante. Freshness and simplicity will always remain the two great qualities of Italian cooking. Most food and wine travellers ‘in the know’ understand the importance of regional Italian cooking and we will endeavour to accommodate with regional varieties to inspire your cooking.

The range represented here is but a fraction of what is available from Franchi, with each new shipment we will bring in more varieties. Every varietal is chosen for flavour so we are not about having the largest range on offer - only the very best seeds that can be grown for both flavour and texture.

All the seeds are packed at Franchi in Bergamo, Northern Italy and not sent as bulk seed to New Zealand for re-packing. This is paramount in ensuring the integrity and purity of the Franchi brand is maintained.

The larger than normal stylish Franchi packets contain a very generous quantity of seed. In most cases more than 3 times that of many seed companies globally. This high seed quantity is normal for Europe. Most are double-sealed for freshness and the 3-year use by date ensures excellent value for money.

know the origin of your seeds,grow your own and of course....

'buon appetito’

Gillian Hurley-Gordon