1987
Bocon a continuous family-owned business, was founded by Luca Ricci with the help of his wife Donatella and brother-in-law Leone. It was initially set up with the idea of developing a product to be consumed as is or to be used in tasty recipes. The “COLTI E COTTI” an anticipation of the 4th and 5th range that 30 years ago was making its first tentative appearance.
1989
Boiled and ready-to-eat spinach was now distributed among supermarkets and food companies engaged in the preparation of stuffed pastas. Such a versatile ingredient inspired Luca and Donatella to come up with a new product; a fresh savory pie filled with ricotta and spinach: the Pasqualina.
1991
In addition to the preparation and distribution of fresh products, Luca also thought of combining frozen food technology. Inspired by his father, who was the head of a poultry products company, Maia, Luca decided to adopt the same IQF technique to produce frozen pasta that was already seasoned. The difference from the ready-made products that were being born at that time was the sauce, which was well spread over the entire surface of the pasta, guaranteed the same taste as the recipe made in the kitchens of Italians. The project was later patented in 1996.
1992
Meanwhile, Luca and Donatella’s knowledge of the frozen food world was beginning to expand. So Pasqualina, initially served at the fresh counter and with a 7-day shelf life, also became available at the frozen counter. This made it a product within reach of a much wider audience.
2000
Since IQF technology had turned out to be a winning story, we switched from pasta to rice. “Sior Risotto” was the first Bocon-branded IQF risotto. The flavors were among the most classic and the production technology allowed for risotto to be freshly made. It should be cooked “al dente” and very creamy.
2006
First courses began to be our calling card. They allowed us to express our philosophy in simple, traditional Italian recipes. A quality that has always given space to a label represented by a few simple ingredients, like the recipe for our “Sfida alla Nonna” gnocchi. A simple product prepared in full respect of tradition. This gave us the boost for the acquisition of a gnocchi company.
2006
Our research and development, which has always been very attentive to consumer needs, has come up with a frozen chocolate salami. The first Bocon-branded dessert, where the use of top-quality ingredients and production technique guaranteed a fragrance of a dessert that seems to be freshly prepared from the very beginning.
2010
Production for the Italian and European markets has always allowed us to maintain the connection to the tradition of Italian cuisine, but always with the desire to experiment with new ingredients and find the perfect combination between them. It was also from this impulse that sweet potato gnocchi was born. This product made its first entry overseas, remaining to this day an innovative product much loved by our customers.
2017 2020
The continuous demand for ready-made products that respected eating well and healthily has caused our production to grow as well. Therefore in 2017, we began working on the new plant, (completed in 2020). With the opening of the new plant, 14000 m2 is dedicated to the production of frozen products.
2020
With the opening of the new plant, the incentives and the desire to make ourselves known even more have also increased. Making our vision of the combination of tradition and innovation known is fundamental to us. By participating in SIAL, we won the innovation prize with our vegetable gnocchi, which was a great satisfaction for the whole team.
2021
Today in the new plant, in addition to offices, R&D labs and quality control, the new format has been launched. “Bottega e Cucina,” where the shop of all Bocon products will coexist with the restaurant, is where you can taste our products and get advice on how to use them.