Slow Beans

For good, clean and fair legumes and pulses

Slow Beans is a thematic network of producers, cooks, and activists who promote pulses and legumes. As advocates of the Slow Food values, those within the Slow Beans network adhere to a manifesto of values and intent.

Slow Beans exists to safeguard legumes and increase their consumption through a range of initiatives. These include supporting the over 50 Slow Food Presidia preserving legumes and organizing events like the annual Slow Beans gathering.

The Slow Beans network was formed in 2010, when the local convivium of Lucca, in the Italian region of Tuscany, held an event dedicated to local legumes. During the event, a competition for legume-based dishes called the Fagioliadi paved the way for this unique new thematic network. The network has since spread throughout Italy, to Germany, Turkey, Spain, Latvia, Lesotho, Uganda, the USA, Colombia, Japan, and Korea—and this is only the start!

Our Manifesto

We stand for

Agroecological Transition We strive for a food system rooted in the principles of agroecology, with legumes and pulses playing a central role. We are committed to implementing these principles, promoting their adoption, and supporting those who have yet to embrace them.

Biodiversity We are dedicated to preserving and promoting legume and pulse seeds and plants, safeguarding them from extinction.

Solidarity Relationships, knowledge exchange, and solidarity guide our actions, whether in collaboration with other farmers of legumes and pulses, producers, public institutions, or private actors in the food chain.

Ethics and Responsibility We operate with great respect for environmental factors and socio-cultural dynamics within the regions of the network.

Food Accessibility We work to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious and tasty food, with legumes and pulses as essential staples.

Inspiration Curiosity guides our actions, inspiring us to explore and learn abo ut different cultures and communities, leading to new ideas and innovations for cultivating and consuming pulses and legumes.

Education We share knowledge about the environmental and local cultural importance of growing and consuming legumes and pulses—always highlighting the health and environmental benefits and the diversity of legumes.

Passion for pulses We make consuming good, clean, and fair legumes and pulses more accessible to home cooks through conviviality, and by sharing inspiration, tasty meals and delicious recipes.

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Why Beans?

Essential Staples
Despite being dismissed as poor food during the decades of economic boom, beans (and almost all legumes) are now recognized as an essential staple in our diets. They are rich in antioxidants and fiber and low in cholesterol, reducing our risk of heart disease and diabetes and helping us all live long and healthy lives.

Food Sovereignty
Pulses and legumes are affordable, nutrient-rich, and easy to store, making them a reliable food source. Grown with low inputs, they support small-scale farmers, seed saving, and local markets, reducing dependency on global supply chains and strengthening community control over food systems.

Sustainable Diet
A legume-rich diet is good for the environment. Legumes require fewer inputs and enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen. Their cultivation also leaves less of an impact than animal proteins, as it involves fewer greenhouse gas emissions and a reduced water footprint.
What We Do

Support Farmers and Producers

We develop supportive relationships between growers, generate peer-to-peer exchanges, engage with prospective legume producers, and provide farmers with more knowledge and tools to maintain and transition to agroecological production of legumes.

Reinforce and Develop Legume Supply Chains

We strengthen and increase collaborations among the supply chain actors, involving professionals, cooks, retailers, and processors.

Increase Quality and Quantity of Legume Consumption

We raise awareness through campaigns, events, and educational materials to increase the demand for good, clean and fair legumes.

Cultivate Biodiversity through Slow Food Presidia and Ark of Taste

There are more than 50 Slow Food Presidia dedicated to the preservation of legumes around the world. Over 300 endangered varieties have been catalogued in the Slow Food Ark of Taste.

Do you have a local variety of pulses or legumes in need of protection?

Let us know!
What You Can Do

Sign the Manifesto

Whether you are a producer, farmer, cook, processor, or are passionate about pulses, you can join our network by signing the manifesto.
Sign the Manifesto

If You Are a Producer or Farmer

You can increase both the quantity and quality of legumes and pulses you grow and share your knowledge by participating in mutual exchanges. Ensure the seed diversity of legumes by encouraging seed saving and sharing among local and international members of the Slow Beans Network.

As a Slow Beans producer, you can join the Slow Food Farms network to gain visibility for your agroecological production or receive specific and localized support during your agroecological transition.
Join Us

If You Are a Cook or Processor

You can collaborate with legume producers and others in the supply chain and utilize local legumes and pulses in recipes. Increase both the quantity and quality of legumes and pulses you purchase and cook. Share your knowledge by participating in awareness campaigns and initiatives, organizing events focusing on pulses and legumes, or joining the Cooks’ Alliance.
Join Us

If You Are a Bean Lover

Attend local events focusing on legumes and pulses and engage in campaigns and educational initiatives. Enhance both the quantity and quality of the legumes and pulses you purchase and cook. Organize initiatives to raise awareness, for example, by forming a Slow Food community.
Join Us