Slow Food: Birth and Growth of an International Association
1986
Slow Food is founded in Italy.
1989
International Slow Food movement founded at Opéra Comique in Paris and Slow Food Manifesto signed.
1990
First Slow Food International Congress held in Venice.
Publication of the Osterie d'Italia guide marks the birth of Slow Food Editore.
1992
Slow Food Germany is created.
1993
Slow Food Switzerland is created.
1996
Slow Food holds the first experimental Salone del Gusto in Turin, where it presents the Ark of Taste project. The Salone goes on to become a biennial event and one of the most important international fairs dedicated to artisan, sustainable food and the small-scale producers that safeguard local taditions and high quality products.
1997
Cheese, Slow Food's first international fair dedicated to diary products, is held in Bra for the first time. It goes on to become a biennial event.
2000
The Slow food Presidia project is launched.
Slow Food USA is created.
2001
The Manifesto in Defense of Raw Milk Cheeses is drawn up, launching the international Slow Cheese campaign.
Master of Food, a new educational project for adults, is launched.
2003
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is formed to support the Presidia, Ark of Taste and former Slow Food Award.
2004
The first edition of Terra Madre – the world meeting of food communities – is held concurrently with the Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy, attracting about 5,000 delegates from 130 countries.
The University of Gastronomic Sciences - the first in the world - is inaugurated at the renovated Agenzia di Pollenzo in Cuneo province, Italy.
Genoa hosts the first Slow Fish fair dedicated to sustainable fishing and fish consumption.
Slow Food Japan is created.
2005
The Salão das Comunidades do Alimento event is launched, the first large-scale traditional food event organized by Slow Food in Brazil (Belo Horizonte).
2006
Slow Food USA establishes Terra Madre Relief Fund to help Louisiana food communities hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Slow Food UK is created.
2007
The fifth International Slow Food Congress is held in Puebla, Mexico, with 600 delegates from around the world.
The first regional Terra Madre events are held in Brazil and Belarus.
Vignerons d’Europe is held in Montpellier, France, bringing together European winemakers to discuss sustainable winemaking.
The first Markt des guten Geschmacks, Slow Food Germany's fair of good, clean and fair food, is held in Stuttgart.
The first Algusto fair is held in Bilbao, Spain.
2008
Carlo Petrini is named one of the '50 people who could save the planet' by the British newspaper The Guardian.
The Terra Madre network organize national meetings in Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Slow Food USA organize Slow Food Nation, a huge celebration of quality sustainable food in San Francisco.
Slow Food and the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity launch the Earth Markets, a global network of farmers’ markets.
Slow Food Netherlands is created.
2009
Regional Terra Madre meetings are held in Tanzania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway and Austria.
Eurogusto, a biennial event of food, taste and culture that unites the European Slow Food network, is held for the first time in Tours, France.
In Italy the Alliance between Chefs and Slow Food Presidia is launched, with restaurants commiting to cook and promote local Presidia products.
Slow Food USA lobbies for better school meals with the Time for Lunch campaign, starting with 300 community Eat-Ins on Labor Day.
The first Terra Madre Day is celebrated on December 10 by communities around the world to mark Slow Food’s 20th anniversary. Around 200,000 people come together in 1,000 events in 150 countries to promote good, clean and fair food.
The international Slow Fish network, campaign and website is launched.
2010
Regional Terra Madre meetings are held in Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Georgia and Kazakhstan, while in Bulgaria the first Terra Madre Balkans event is held.
Presidia from across the Balkans met at the Taste Festival of Ustikolina (Bosnia Herzegovina).
The Thousand Gardens in Africa project is launched at Terra Madre 2010 in Turin.
2011
The Slow Europe campaign is launched, calling for European policies that promote sustainability, biodiversity protection and support for small-scale farmers.
The Shalakh apricot becomes the thousandth product to be included in the Ark of Taste.
Indigenous food communities from around the world came together at the first edition of Indigenous Terra Madre, in Jokkmokk, Sweden.
Regional Terra Madre meetings are held in Armenia, Austria, South Korea, Crimea, Japan, Russia and Switzerland.
2012
Slow Food President Carlo Petrini addresses the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York.
Slow Food President Carlo Petrini speaks at the “Global Food Security and Nutrition Dialogue” at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20.
Slow Food unites with other NGOs and organizations to campaign for a better Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Good Food March brings farmers, citizens and youth to Brussels were Carlo Petrini presents our requests to the European Parliament.
The Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, united as a single event for the first time, welcomes 220,00 visitors to Turin.
The Sixth Slow Food International Congress also in Turin, welcomes 650 delegates from 95 countries and ratifies the new guiding policy document The Central Role of Food.
