The story of the small agricultural bakery in Modica that preserves an ancient wheat variety at risk of disappearing

by Cristina Barbera

In the heart of the Hyblaean plateau, between Modica, Frigintini, and Ispica, lies the agricultural bakery of the Fratantonio family. It is agricultural because it was born from a passion for the countryside and its products, a passion that has been passed down for three generations. The ambitious project of the brothers Enzo, Salvatore, and Giorgio—who were born and raised in the countryside—was inherited from their parents and grandparents, along with a love for the authenticity of manual agricultural labour. This is the kind of work that begins at the crack of dawn, in the fields and in the barns, filling their days with purpose.

In 2005, the three brothers, among their olive and carob groves, founded a company for the production of grain using agroforestry —an agronomic approach that allows cereals and fruit trees to be cultivated on the same plot of land. This choice, made in a historically suitable land, led to the rediscovery of ancient Sicilian varieties such as Russello Ibleo, a variety at risk of disappearing. This, in turn, fuelled their desire to recover it and to produce good, genuine bread, just like in the past.

In 2010, the brothers decided to specialise exclusively in wheat, transforming their livestock and cereal farm. This was partly due to the struggles of the livestock sector at the time and also because farmers had been granted permission to produce bread and baked goods using their own wheat. They renovated an old barn and some storage facilities to create a workshop and an agricultural bakery, thus tying their history to the aroma of freshly baked bread.

“At the time,” Enzo recalls, “our idea was to focus on tradition and produce only one typical Modican product: pane a pasta dura (firm dough bread). And to make that bread, we needed traditional wheat: Russello Ibleo, the durum wheat named after the reddish colour of its tall ears. Alongside Tumminia, it is the most widely cultivated variety in Sicily. Our grandparents passed down its use to us. To this day, it remains the essential ingredient in Modican homemade bread, even though it has often been replaced by more productive modern varieties.”

This cultivar gives the baked loaves of Modican homemade bread a distinctive amber-coloured crust and a dense, white, fragrant crumb. Just as with the wheat, they have faithfully followed the family recipe for the bread. In fact, they still use the traditional method of cruscenti, a piece of dough taken from a previous batch and used by housewives as a natural leavening agent. This imparts a unique flavour, excellent organoleptic qualities, and greater digestibility to the bread.

In 2015, the brothers embarked on a meticulous process of seed purification, selecting the most representative Russello Ibleo ears. Thanks to research and studies conducted in collaboration with the Stazione Consorziale Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia (Sicilian Experimental Consortium for Cereal Growing) and the implementation of the ancient practice of ammannato, they succeeded in recovering and maintaining the purity of Russello Ibleo seeds. Today, this variety is registered in the National Register of Conservation Varieties of the Mipaaf (Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry), and the company is both the custodian and producer of certified seeds.

Naturally, in addition to the traditional homemade bread, they began to offer other baked goods. Over the years, demand has increased, leading to the need for larger spaces. Thanks to a regional rural development programme, they were able to build newer, larger facilities, including a warehouse with silos for grain storage, a spacious open-view workshop, a larger and more functional retail area, and, finally, to complete the supply chain they had long pursued and dreamed of, a stone mill to independently manage the cleaning and milling of their wheat. The additional space has also allowed them to create a small room for hosting meetings, tastings, and small events.

The Fratantonio brothers’ business is deeply rooted in tradition while looking towards the future with a keen focus on sustainability. They have embarked on a virtuous path to minimise their environmental footprint and achieve good energy compensation. They have increased the area of photovoltaic panels integrated into the roof to generate renewable energy, and in a circular economy approach, they fuel their wood-fired ovens with wood chips derived from pruning residues. They actively support and promote the principles of Slow Food and are founding members of the Slow Food Community of Modica for the Tradition of Homemade Bread, a concrete commitment to preserving the region’s gastronomic heritage.

In practice, this means a commitment to guaranteeing consumers a wholesome and genuine product in its entirety, carefully selecting the best wheat ears to obtain superior seeds. They follow nature’s rhythms and adapt to climatic conditions, never taking their eyes off the fields to understand the story of each individual wheat ear and recognise the right moment for harvesting.