What Is Einkorn Pasta? A Buyer’s Guide for Retailers
Einkorn pasta is pasta made from einkorn, one of the oldest cultivated forms of wheat, which gives it a golden color and a rich, slightly nutty flavor. At Intermountain Pasta, we make organic einkorn pasta in Salt Lake City from einkorn grown and stone-milled by Grand Teton Ancient Grains, the Idaho farm and mill our same family runs.
Einkorn is one of the questions we get asked about most. Some buyers have heard of it from health-food shoppers, some have seen it in bakeries, and some have never heard the word. So here’s our plain-language guide, written for the people deciding what goes on the shelf. If you’re ready to see our einkorn line itself, visit our organic einkorn pasta page.
What is einkorn?
Einkorn (botanical name Triticum monococcum) is an ancient wheat. It’s widely considered one of the first grains people ever farmed, thousands of years ago. Unlike modern bread wheat, einkorn was never heavily bred for high yields, so it’s much closer to the wheat our ancestors grew.
A few things set it apart:
- Simpler genetics. Einkorn has two sets of chromosomes. Modern bread wheat has six.
- A hulled grain. Each kernel grows inside a tough hull that has to come off before milling.
- Lower yields. Einkorn produces less per acre than modern wheat, which is one reason it’s still a specialty grain.
- A golden color. Einkorn flour is naturally more yellow than most wheat flour.
Is einkorn pasta gluten-free?
No. Einkorn is a wheat and it contains gluten. It should never be sold or described as gluten-free, and it isn’t safe for people with celiac disease. Its gluten is different from the gluten in modern wheat, but please keep your shelf tags and staff talking points accurate: einkorn is wheat.
What does einkorn pasta taste like?
Einkorn pasta has a rich, slightly sweet and nutty flavor, with a warm golden color. It’s a little more tender than durum semolina pasta. Because we bronze-cut it, the surface is rough and holds sauce well. It’s great with simple dressings like olive oil, butter, herbs and cheese, where the grain’s flavor can come through.
Cooking tips to share with your customers
- Einkorn pasta usually cooks a bit faster than semolina pasta, so start tasting early.
- Use plenty of well-salted water.
- Drain it just before it’s done and finish it in the sauce.
Why retailers are paying attention to einkorn
It’s a real point of difference
Einkorn pasta is still uncommon on grocery shelves. If you carry it, you’re offering something many stores don’t have.
Shoppers are looking for ancient grains
Ancient grains have become a familiar category for health-minded and food-curious shoppers. Einkorn fits naturally next to other specialty and organic products.
It tells a story
Einkorn has a history that goes back thousands of years, and ours has a farm story too. Stories help a premium product sell, especially in specialty stores where staff talk with customers.
How to merchandise einkorn pasta
- Shelve it with premium and organic pastas.
- Use a shelf talker that explains what einkorn is in one line. Example: “Einkorn is one of the oldest wheats. It’s golden, nutty and still contains gluten.”
- Cross-merchandise with olive oil, artisan sauces and hard cheeses.
- Put the farm front and center. Shoppers like knowing where the grain was grown.
Our einkorn pasta: grown, milled and made by one family
This is the part we’re proudest of. The same family runs Intermountain Pasta and Grand Teton Ancient Grains: brothers Jade and Jaxon Koyle. Their farm sits in Teton, Idaho, at the foothills of the Grand Teton Mountains, where the einkorn is grown and then stone-milled into einkorn semolina. They wanted to offer einkorn pasta, so a few years ago they bought our Salt Lake City pasta kitchen, keeping its time-tested recipes and dedicated team.
That means our einkorn travels from Idaho soil to the family mill to our pasta kitchen. You can read the whole journey in our soil-to-shelf story.
Our einkorn pasta is organic, bronze-cut and slow-dried, made with clean ingredients. It comes plain, in four shapes:
- Spaghetti
- Fusilli
- Linguine
- Angel hair
Ways to carry einkorn pasta
- Buying wholesale? Get our einkorn pasta through Grand Teton Ancient Grains.
- Private label: you pick the pasta, we fill our bags, your brand goes on the tag. We send you the dieline, or we can provide a designer.
- Custom manufacturing: have a specific recipe or packaging in mind? We can make it.
For private label and custom manufacturing, our minimum is between 700 and 1,200 lbs, depending on the cut and how much it takes to fill a dry room. Filling the whole room is how the pasta dries evenly and gets the flavor and texture you love in artisan pasta. Most orders ship in 4 to 6 weeks.
Ready to add einkorn to your shelf or your brand?
Let’s talk about which einkorn shapes fit your store or brand. Request a quote, email sales@intermountainpasta.com, or call 801-977-9077. Call anytime and talk to a real person.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is einkorn pasta made from?
Einkorn pasta is made from einkorn, one of the oldest cultivated wheats. Ours is made from organic einkorn grown and stone-milled into einkorn semolina by Grand Teton Ancient Grains in Teton, Idaho.
Is einkorn pasta gluten-free?
No. Einkorn is a type of wheat and contains gluten. It is not safe for people with celiac disease.
What does einkorn pasta taste like?
It has a golden color and a rich, slightly sweet, nutty flavor. It’s a little more tender than durum semolina pasta.
What shapes does einkorn pasta come in?
Our einkorn pasta comes plain in spaghetti, fusilli, linguine and angel hair.
Where can retailers buy einkorn pasta wholesale?
Wholesale einkorn pasta is sold through Grand Teton Ancient Grains, the farm and mill run by the same family as Intermountain Pasta.
More answers in our Buyer FAQ.