Since 1996 in a small village in the hills of le Marche, a group of devotees have been working on preventing that legumes, cereals, sweet things, and sauces, once staples in this area, become extinct. Love of food, dedication to health and biodiversity, a passion for conviviality, and the wish to honor the local food and wine heritage are the key motivations of the La Bona Usanza Cooperative.
Serra de’Conti is a village in the heart of the land of the Verdicchio, surrounded by beautiful rolling hills that are meticulously cultivated. Visitors admit being fascinated by the Marche, a region with much simplicity and many hidden treasures. Here La Bona Usanza was founded in 1996.
We started with Cicerchia and Lonzino, the dried fig log, which is a Slow Food Presidium product. Currently our portfolio also includes chick peas, Solfino beans, Granturco Quanrantino corn flower, Sapa and Agresto.
Do you like to try out new recipes? Do you like new challenges in cooking?
Here are a few recipes to show how products from the La Bona Usanza portfolio are prepared in the region. These are purely suggestions. We are confident that whoever loves cooking, will find his or her own way of preparation. We welcome suggestions of new recipes from our customers from all over the world!
In this section, you will find photos of the members of the cooperative at work on the fields, processing the harvest, and selling their products at trade shows and markets. The pictures illustrate the land, the people who work it and who work for Bona Usanza. These people are convinced that although their project is small-scale, their aims are high and honorable.
This yearly festival celebrates the colors and the fragrances of autumn. At the center is an agricultural product that used to be food for the poor and that has been part of the local culture for centuries - cicerchia. With this lovely festival, the flavors stored away in our memories are brought to life again and regional products of high quality are promoted. For the numerous visitors, it is a great opportunity to get a taste of traditional food as it was prepared centuries ago. Tourists and locals can enjoy these traditional specialties in the historic medieval town center of Serra de’ Conti, with its cellars and inner yards. The experience is rounded off with traditional music and exhibits of local artists and artisans. As a contribution towards supporting small producers, every year a prize is awarded for excellence in promoting biodiversity in the Marche.
