It is widely held that the best liquorice in the world grows naturally in Calabria, where the Amarelli family have lived for many hundreds of years. They started to harvest and sell liquorice root from their estate in 1499. The family started their business in 1731 and, amazingly, still run it to this day, one of only 30 bi-centennial family owned enterprises in the world. Today the company blends modern technology with their traditional craftsmanship to produce the very finest, award-winning, pure liquorice. The soil conditions and climate in Calabria are ideal for a high level of glycyrrhizin, which gives the liquorice its characteristic delicious taste and powers. It is much sweeter than liquorice from elsewhere. In Chinese medicine liquorice is an elixir of longevity and, according to Hippocrates, this root with its characteristic bitter-sweet taste, has vivifying, digestive and throat soothing qualities. Amarelli liquorice is wholly natural and all the pure liquorice products are sugar free.