Green Pastini - Local, Seasonal Menu & Sustainable Practices
Pastini is moving toward greener practices wherever we can, and we just took a big step in that direction with our new take out containers. Now you can eat well and feel good about it. Enjoy Oregon-sourced menu items at a Pastini Pastaria near you or learn more about our green practices below!
New Cold Food Containers
Our new Eco-Products clear containers for cold foods are so cool - they're made from corn and compostable. This material is 100% annually renewable and is fully compostable in municipal and industrial composting facilities. We’ve even sourced compostable labels for them, so you’ll have no problem knowing what is in the box. These labels are also made from renewable plant sources. While the Portland Composts! program currently does not accept these containers other industrial composting facilities do and we're happy to source these plastics from renewable resources instead of petroleum.
These join our take out bags, which are 100% oxo-biodegradable (will biodegrade in the presence of oxygen), and our compostable utensils which are all compostible and made from renewable materials but are currently not accepted by the Portland Composts! program.
New Hot Food Containers
Unlike our old waxed cardboards boxes, our hip new EarthChoice hot food containers are microwavable to 250 degrees. And they're made from an innovative hybrid material that uses 40% less plastic, plus they close tighter so your pastas will stay hot longer. We've tried compostable pulp containers for our pastas, but so far haven't found any that will hold up to the hot food without collapsing, so we've chosen these EarthChoice boxes as the best alternative (the clear corn containers we use for cold foods will melt if hot food in put into them). However, curbside recycling will not accept these pasta containers. We will continue to look for more sustainable alternatives!
Composting in the Restaurants
Pastini is also composting organic and paper waste in our Bend pastaria and we are in the process of setting up composting in the Corvallis Pastini. Composting organic waste such as squash ends, tomato cores, coffee grounds and other biodegradables, along with cardboard and paper napkins can reduce trash by an amazing 50% - 75%.
We will be adding composting programs in other locations as soon as our local waste management companies have them available. We'll keep you posted on updates to our Green Pastini Program.
Local Products
Pastini buys local produce in season, and we're proud to purchase vegetables, herbs and lettuces from two Food Alliance certified farms near Portland: Cal Farms in Oregon City and Howard Calcagno Farm in Aurora, as well as other local farmers.
If you haven't heard about the Food Alliance, based here in Portland, you'll want to know more. The Alliance offers the most comprehensive certification program for sustainably produced food in North America. They look at environmentally safe agricultural practices, humane treatment of animals and safe and fair working conditions. That's great news for us and what we serve, and for you and what you eat.
Food Alliance certification is backed by a rigorous and independent third party inspection, which means that you can trust what they claim. Check the Food Alliance website for more information.
Our mushrooms come exclusively from Yamhill County Mushrooms in Yamhill, OR, an organic producer certified by the Food Alliance and Oregon Tilth. Oregon Tilth is an organization dedicated to biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. http://tilth.org/
The beef for our meatballs, Bolognese sauce and other dishes comes from Fulton Provisions in Portland, another producer that is Food Alliance Certified. They use Oregon Country Beef.
Our Italian fennel sausages are produced by Zenner's Sausage Co. in NW Portland from local Carlton Farms pork.
The delicious ciabatta bread we use is made by Pearl Bakery, a small artisinal bakery in the Pearl District. They seek out organic, local and small-producer products whenever possible.
Pastini uses Darigold butter, cream and milk. Darigold is a farmer-owned cooperative of more that 400 dairy farms in the Pacific Northwest since 1918.
Our special Pastini coffee blends come from Portland Roasting Company, whose Farm Friendly Direct programs buy directly from coffee growers, ensuring them higher prices for their beans and delicious, sustainably-raised coffee for us.
We hope you enjoy the wholesome products that go into making your delicious Pastini pastas and other dishes.
Local means fresher, and fresher tastes better!