FRANCESCA
Living healthily while respecting nature is the greatest gift you can give yourself, day after day. With this thought in mind, I created ‘Mimina’, born to offer organic, vegan, handcrafted granola baked in a wood-fired oven. The company was born from the desire to rediscover my family roots, reconnect with nature and live a healthy life that often embraces manual work and proper nutrition. After a lifetime spent abroad in cosmopolitan cities, I decided to leave my job at a renowned auction house in London, return to Italy and get closer to Santa Sofia, the heart of my family ties. This was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Leaving behind a prestigious career for the unknown took a lot of courage. But I felt I needed to find myself again; my life at the time no longer reflected who I was. And so, this small town, among the sweet hills of Romagna, became the place of inspiration for a new beginning, and hence the cradle of ‘Mimina’.
I am passionate about art and travel, and I love collecting antique objects and rediscovering culinary traditions of the past by combining the different flavours and aromas that make them up. Having been born and raised in Germany and having spent my adolescence in Asia, my aesthetic and culinary tastes have been shaped by the different cultures I was exposed to. My studies, which concluded with a master's degree in Asian Art and the publication of research related to blue and white chinoiserie ceramics, led me to work at Christie's in London. At the heart of my work at this auction house was the appraisal of antique objects, closely tied to building trust with clients; this experience was an important life lesson for me. Blue and white chinoiserie ceramics, linked to Asian art, remain objects I love deeply to this day, rich as they are with a complex past shaped by the fusion of different cultural influences.
‘Mimina’, meaning ‘my little one’, pays tribute to my grandfather, a true lover of healthy living in respect of nature. From my grandfather I learned that every detail matters in the kitchen, making a dish not only more beautiful but also more delicious. Gilberto lived for simple things and genuine relationships, something I also rediscovered upon my return to Santa Sofia.
