If you were us, would you make a brand of it?

Laboratorio Monferrato has gathered a 3rd time, in ‘Cascina La Rossa – Morsasco’ in a ‘agriturismo’ at the feet of the Apennines a bunch of km north of  the Ligurian Sea, to boost  the Monferrato breakfast project. This is meant to be a new product, targeted on locals and tourists, for bed&breakfasts, bars. hotels, catering and on what we call ‘agriturismi’, which are farms giving hospitality in the countryside.

We have worked on a brand new idea of local breakfast, which intends to promote a balanced food offer for those who travel to Monferrato, usually on short breaks for sport and leisure (biking, trekking, wine tours, green tourism) or because they are attracted by the breathtaking landscape, which is a UNESCO World Heritage.

Nevertheless, the real motivation we found for the ‘Monferrato breakfast’ has gone far beyond the response to  clients need: create a completely local food experience for excursionists, which has requested a shareable project with a nutritionist, a Mediterranean Diet Ambassador, hosts, farmers and a sustainability auditor….. Here, the basics are to share experiences, to put on the table our everyday work, in order to find an effective way to better market the uniqueness of what we see and eat every day. The intent is to convey a message: come and visit the Monferrato, have our breakfast in our villages and enjoy the day. Use a sustainability project model, Licet, and the Mediterranean hospitality Xenia are fundamentals in this attempt.

The ‘Monferrato Breakfast’ has started its genesis: hazelnut and chocolate cream, local bread (Monferrina and focaccia), local salami, and herbs fritters seem to be the core recipe. Around it, every caterer can add other local food, to personalize her/his offer: it would be impossible and reductive to standardize  local food in a territory which boundaries have never been designed!

Next step:  Early May, we’ll try the preparation, the service and we’ll respond to ‘Do we really need a brand for the Monferrato breakfast?’ ‘How are we going to market it and communicate its values of identity?’, sustainability, uniqueness?

You, reader, have any hint or experience to share with us?