Q: We’re excited to feature Sosa in this edition of FHA Insider. Could you please provide our readers with a brief overview of your company and the range of products you offer?
SOSA Ingredients is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of premium-quality ingredients for pastry-making and gastronomy. Founded in Catalonia in 1967, Sosa Ingredients offers a wide range of products designed to meet the needs and fulfil the dreams of chefs in more than 80 countries worldwide. From freeze-dried fruits, fruit pastes, nuts, texturizing agents, colourants, flavours and technical sugars, we offer a range of 3000+ products.
Sosa Ingredients’ creations are still produced near Barcelona or in La Granadella (also in Catalonia) where, for example, the nuts are processed from the harvest right through to packing. At Sosa, we have set ourselves the goal of dedicating our technological expertise to innovation and constant improvement so that we can make gastronomy increasingly ethical and make the jobs of the best chefs in the world easier.
Our products are developed according to the four basic principles of modern cuisine: more texture and more flavour, but less fat and less sugar.
Q: Sosa offers a diverse array of products from freeze-dried ingredients to technical sugars. What specific attributes should chefs look for when selecting Sosa’s products to enhance their culinary creations?
Chefs should look for products that bring out the best in their dishes – whether it’s boosting flavour, adding texture, or reducing fat and sugar. Sosa’s range is crafted to help chefs achieve these goals effortlessly, offering ingredients that are both practical and creative. For example, our freeze-dried ingredients can intensify flavours without adding moisture, while our technical sugars allow for better control in creating desserts with the right balance of sweetness and structure.
Q: Sosa is renowned for its innovation in the culinary field. What are some current trends in the use of ingredients like texturizers and concentrated pastes, and how is Sosa adapting to or leading these trends?
As we all know, gastronomy is changing towards a healthier and more sustainable approach. Consumers have new expectations, and, with this, pastry-making is facing new technical challenges around reducing sugar and fat, improving textures, and boosting flavour. To help address these challenges, SOSA is offering a range of fibres with different origins, including citrus, chicory, psyllium and now a new addition to the range: Flaxfiber, where the fibres come from brown and golden flax seeds. Its composition gives it outstanding thickening, stabilising, emulsifying and holding capabilities. It can act as a substitute and cleaner version of xanthan gum’s stabilising and thickening properties
Q: Considering the growing focus on health and dietary preferences, how does Sosa address nutritional concerns in your product development? Are there any products specifically designed to cater to dietary restrictions or enhance the nutritional profile of dishes?
From leveraging fibres to vegan or gluten free products, SOSA is pioneer in many solutions to cater the rapid evolution of health concerns and diets around the world., We will showcase many of those products during FHA at our booth with our two SOSA Chefs coming all the way from our headquarter in Spain!
Q: Many chefs are exploring the use of concentrated pastes and flavourings in their recipes. How do these ingredients compare to whole or raw ingredients in terms of flavour intensity and consistency? What are some innovative ways to incorporate them into complex dishes?
The main goal of concentrated pastes is to avoid humidity that we usually face with using fresh products. Particularly in pastry, the water content is crucial to master as excess water can affect the quality, taste and texture of a recipe. Concentrated pastes allow to control the water content within a recipe while adding great taste and colour. They also provide more consistency vs raw material. You can add them to absorb
Q: What exciting new products can attendees expect to discover at the Sosa’s booth?
One of the latest additions to our range is our Gracila Gel, a gelling agent.
Gracila gel is a plant-based gelling agent, ideal for customers looking for clean label solutions. It’s an alternative to agar-agar, pectins and carrageenans.
Chefs can really create a wide range of textures with this product, and you will discover (and try) one way of using it at our booth. For the rest, come visit to discover more!
To wrap things up on a lighter note, let’s dive into some fun, rapid-fire questions:
• What’s the most creative recipe you’ve seen using Sosa’s products?
That’s a tough one! We are tempted to answer come to our booth and see!
The Chefs will be introducing 5 original recipes with textures and flavours that will definitely leave an impression on you.
• Share a lesser-known fact about Sosa that often surprises people.
SOSA was initially a family business. Before selling ingredients, the first products we produced and sold in 1967 were traditional Catalan cakes and traditional Christmas products.
