Call for Bakers, Millers, Farmers and Cities from UNESCO Creative Cities

Explore, share, and celebrate the roots of your community, taking part in the project is simple! Click on Participate below and fill out the form!

Breads of the Creative Cities Project

The Breads of the Creative Cities project is a global initiative that celebrates the cultural and communal significance of local bread-making practices. Launched in 2018 by the Creative Knowledge Foundation in partnership with Tucson and Krakow, the project aims to:

Connect Cultures: Bring together UNESCO Creative Cities to share their bread-making traditions.

Promote Sustainability: Highlight the importance of local and sustainable ingredients.

Foster Community: Encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange among bakers and communities.

By focusing on simplicity, universality, and flexibility, the project empowers communities to preserve and share their culinary heritage.

Founded in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is an association of 350 cities, in more than 105 countries, designated in recognition of their exemplary efforts in using cultural heritage and creativity for sustainable development. A city may apply for recognition in one of seven clusters: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. Using the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda as a planning framework, Creative Cities use their designations to create sustainable futures for their communities and to support the cultural producers of their internationally living heritages.

In 2018, the Creative Knowledge Foundation (CKF) partnered with Tucson UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy to launch the first inter-cluster project open to all cities in the network: Breads of the Creative Cities (BoCC). Supported by Krakow UNESCO Creative City of Literature, BoCC expanded the Days of Bread festival at the XII Annual UCCN Meeting in Poland. Inspired by the event’s message—bread symbolizes fertility, miracles, and sharing while connecting diverse culinary and social traditions—BoCC highlights the cultural and communal significance of local bread-making practices.

The project is built on Simplicity, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of age, religion, or culture. It emphasizes Universality, as every community cherishes a culturally significant food made with local flour. With its Flexibility, the initiative adapts to create both local and global collaborations. Together, these values celebrate the shared traditions of bread-making while fostering creativity and inclusivity worldwide.

Project goals

STRENGTHEN THE UCC NETWORK COLLABORATION

Achieve stronger relationships between the UNESCO Creative Cities around the world and their knowledge keepers.

HIGHLIGHT THE KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS AND THE LOCAL BREAD VALUE CHAIN

Highlight the cultural significance of artisanal bakers, farmers and millers who are part of the bread local value chain.

CREATE A CULTURAL DIGITAL RESOURCE

Create a digital hub where stories and traditions of the traditional local bakers, farmers and millers of the UCC are collected.

PROMOTE “BEST PRACTICES”

Promote a new format of inter-clusters project for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Bread of the Creative Cities 2025 Book

The book tells the story and culture of more than 100 Knowledge Keepers and UNESCO Creative Cities through the ingredients and recipes of their traditional breads.

The most universal of all dietary staple is synonymous at the same time with connection and diversity between the various cultures of the world. A collective theme such as bread also helps to reason about global issues, such as green agriculture, nutrition, sustainable development of local communities.

The stories of the products and bakers were collected through the Creative Knowledge Platform, highlighting the unique creative assets of the territories.

Breads of the Creative Cities Meetings

Creative Knowledge Foundation, in partnership with Tucson Creative City of Gastronomy, is organizing meetings in Creative Cities, with the aim of creating interest and involvement in the project and also to strengthen international partnerships between creative cities.