Napoleone Neri, born in 1948, son of farmers in the Bolognese lowlands, has lived intensely the rural traditions of his family and his land. An experienced chocolate and food marketing professional, he is a connoisseur of agri-food chains and a scholar of Bolognese gastronomic culture. He is the author of the book Come il cioccolato sui maccheroni (Mondadori 2006), which helped spread the use of cocoa as an ingredient in savoury dishes. For Pendragon, he published the compendium of Bolognese cuisine A tavola con il dottor Balanzone (2018), laying the groundwork for the UNESCO nomination of Bolognese gastronomic culture, and Il cuore del cacao. 500 years of chocolate history (2022).