Common good, widely held ownership
The project promotes the participation of a variety of stakeholders and a structure of “widely held ownership” consistent with the goal of regenerating and restoring to the city a historical common good that will become one of the main tourist-cultural attractions of the city.
To this end, the project envisages that even residents of Perugia will be able to experience the Chocolate City as a meeting place and a venue for promoting cultural events.
Expressions of interest have been collected from businesses, institutional investors, associations, and individual citizens to participate in the initiative as investors and/or partners. An agreement has therefore been arranged with a crowdfunding platform to soon launch a campaign to expand the social base and thus consolidate the promotion of widely held ownership.
The funds raised will not contribute to the financial endowment necessary for the project’s realization but will be used for important supporting actions.
Sustainability
The project also aims to establish an International Observatory on Cocoa and Chocolate involving growers, processors, traders, and consumers worldwide, in partnership with accredited certification bodies, associations dedicated to this theme, and university research centers and local institutions. The Observatory embraces the tools of “open innovation” and sustainability to promote the fair development of the entire supply chain. To this end, discussions have already begun to engage partners from around the world, particularly from Africa and South America. The project also includes the establishment of a chocolate factory that processes cocoa from a controlled supply chain and the implementation of international training activities aimed at growers, processors, and traders in the cocoa-chocolate sector.
Biodiversity
The Città del Cioccolato also aims to establish itself as a center of research on the world of cocoa and chocolate, thanks to significant collaborations that are being forged. In particular, the focus will be on preserving biodiversity, aided by the creation of a cocoa library where varieties at risk can be cataloged, studied, and thus preserved. The project aims to promote the production of these threatened species, endangered by their replacement with more profitable crops, with the involvement of growers and stakeholders in the supply chain.
Accessibility
The museum plans to implement an infrastructure and a set of devices and aids that allow full accessibility, interaction, and enjoyment of the experience by people of all ages and with disabilities who may have physical, sensory, or mental challenges of any kind. There are plans to develop a continuous research activity in this regard, including support for specific research doctorates with the University of Perugia and other universities to update the infrastructure and aids over time.
Inclusivity
The museum plans to implement an infrastructure and a set of devices and aids that allow full accessibility, interaction, and enjoyment of the experience by people of all ages and with disabilities who may have physical, sensory, or mental challenges of any kind. There are plans to develop a continuous research activity in this regard, including support for specific research doctorates with the University of Perugia and other universities to update the infrastructure and aids over time.
Solidarity
It is essential to safeguard and promote the cultural heritage linked to cocoa and chocolate, and Perugia can become a hub for implementing, in collaboration with all stakeholders in the supply chain, solidarity projects aimed at promoting fairer and more just production, recognizing the value of the work of growers and all actors involved in the creation of the “food of the gods”. For this reason, partners are being selected to activate solidarity projects, in which Destinazione Cioccolato srl will promote actions aimed at increasing consumer awareness of responsible consumption, primarily aiming to improve the social conditions of growers.
Tourism Marketing
In terms of tourism marketing, the implementation of the project will enable the promotion and establishment of a city branding system through the involvement of businesses that have long operated in the cocoa and chocolate supply chain. This will allow the city of Perugia to strengthen its cultural and identity attributes in support of its classic tourist and food and wine products. In particular, emphasis will be placed on enhancing the value of all small artisanal producers in the cocoa-chocolate sector, as well as local agricultural and artisanal products that can find opportunities for promotion and reciprocal actions within the Chocolate City and back in their places of origin.
