A one man team operating out of Willunga in South Australia, Willunga Pasta is a gluten free pasta company that serves up real food made by real people. With no preservatives or colourings, this colourful pasta is made using pure whole vegetables.

After a lot of trial and error, founder Angie finally came up with the winning recipe, that was delicious to eat and that the customers loved.

We caught up with Angie to find out more about this colourful pasta from Willunga, South Australia.

Who are the team behind Willunga Pasta and what made you launch?

Willunga Pasta is just me, as a small home based business. I started producing and selling pasta at the Willunga Farmers Market 8 years ago.  I was often asked for gluten free pasta and promised to make some but was constantly challenged as the recipes I tried just didn’t work.  I finally decided to try to develop my own recipes.  Three years on and having eaten a  lot of really unpleasant pasta I finally produced something that was delicious to eat and I was happy to offer to my loyal customers at the market.  The result was that I had finally developed something that my customers loved and I was proud of.

What does a day in the life of the Willunga Pasta team look like?

A day in the life of Willunga Pasta is busy.  From early mornings sending orders out, to picking and buying fresh produce, mixing flours and making pasta there is no spare time.  I love the phone calls and texts and instagram feedback that lets me know that the long hours are well worth it, the support and constant appreciation I receive makes it all wonderful.

Can you tell us about the nutritional benefits of Willunga Pasta and how you make it taste, and look, so delicious without adding colourings or preservatives?

The pasta is made from whole vegetables and in most varieties approximately half the ingredients are whole vegetables.  This adds to the colour obviously but also the carbohydrate content coming from vegetables rather than grains and also offering an increase in fibre and protein.  There is no need for colourings when you are using whole vegetables.  I often look across from me at the market to the vegetable sellers stalls with their piles of beetroots, spinach, radishes, carrots etc and look at my products and feel excited.  My stall is full of real vibrancy from real food.  There are no preservatives in my pasta so all you get is real food all the time.

Do you follow a gluten free diet yourself and if so, what are some of the challenges and how have you worked to overcome them?

I do not have Coeliac Disease but find a gluten free diet agrees with me.  I believe modern day grains have been manipulated and for some people they are harder to digest.  The proteins in modern day wheat are very harsh on the digestive system.  I am just simply catering to a growing need in the community.  I just want to provide a delicious alternative so that those people who chose gluten free are enjoying a great product.

Why is it so important to you to only use locally sourced products, or vegetables you have grown yourself?

Part of the ethics and code of practice of our market insists on locally sourced products.  Our loyal local customers want to be eating locally grown and produced products so for me there is no alternative.  I source all products where possible from local growers and also grow as much produce as I can.

Based in Willunga, South Australia, what do you like to do when you’re not busy with Willunga Pasta and do you have any travel tips for anyone planning to visit?

I am addicted to gardening and renovating.  We live in one of the oldest cottages in Willunga and the gift of enjoying the history is a sense of responsibility to preserve that history.  That means constant upkeep but I like nothing better than to have a paintbrush or some other tool in my hands.

Willunga is a small historic township on the Fleurieu Peninsula about an hour south of Adelaide.  We have a beautiful strip of hills which wrap around us with fields of grape vines that sweep down to the sea.  We have a number of beautiful beaches which are quite breathtaking where you can enjoy amazing wines and beautiful food.  We are blessed with wonderful wineries where you can visit cellar doors, enjoy live music, eat some of the freshest seafood straight from our beaches and head down the coast to Kangaroo Island.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take three things, what would they be?

Wow, three things to a desert island.  That is a difficult question.  I would have to take some beautiful heirloom seeds from my friends at the market so I could grow some food and continue on their work, definitely some good coffee to brew in a billy on an open fire and my partner and friends so we could work together to make a future on our new island home.