A grain of wheat with a sprout on his head and one big dream: to become bread. To get there he has to travel the whole supply chain — from the sun-drenched fields of Laterza all the way to the heat of the oven. He's called Chicco — The Wheat Adventure, he's our video game, and he's free to play in your browser.
Chicco is a golden grain of wheat, with big eyes and a green sprout on his head. He's brave and he's a dreamer, and like all dreamers he has one fixed idea: to reach the end of the journey. He runs, he jumps, he rolls — and finally, inside the oven, he turns into bread.
He's the hero of the game and, in a way, the hero of our work: because everything — from the flour to the pizza on the plate — starts exactly there, with a single grain.
The game follows the real supply chain, one stage at a time. Every level is a genuine place along the road wheat travels before it becomes bread:
Each level adds something new: moving platforms, rotating millstones, fans and gusts of wind, disappearing platforms. You start peacefully among the wheat and end up dodging steam inside the oven.
Somewhere along the way, the entrance to a secret level is hidden. We won't say where it is or how it opens: finding out is part of the game. All we'll say is that it's a tribute to an ancient wheat from our region — and that whoever reaches the end finds a real prize, not just a congratulations screen.
If you find it, tell us. But no spoilers. 😉
Along the way Chicco meets creatures that are real adversaries out in the fields: the crow patrolling the skies for ears of wheat, the slow and stubborn snail, the mouse darting between granary sacks, and the weevil — the wheat beetle — hopping constantly and demanding good timing. You get past them by jumping on top: there's no violence in this game, ever.
Then there are the farmer, scything the wheat, and the head miller, carrying a sack of flour on his shoulders. They aren't enemies: they're working. You simply dodge them, and that's it. It felt like the right way to portray them — because they, together with the wheat, are the ones who make the flour.
Approaching the characters and signs along the way unlocks the "Did you know…?" cards: eighteen in total, covering the supply chain, stone milling, traceability and our products. They're all based on real facts about the company — what you read while playing is what actually happens in the mill.
Completing the levels unlocks the eight official Chicco recipes: pizza, focaccia barese, orecchiette, taralli and more, each with its own downloadable PDF card.
In the menu there's a button closed with a padlock from the very start. It downloads the complete recipe book, with all eight recipes gathered in a single file — but it only opens once you reach the end of the adventure. A small reward for taking Chicco all the way to the oven.
The soundtrack is original: an Apulian tarantella arranged in chiptune style, with different timbres for each environment. It shifts from the field to the mill, from the granary to the oven. It's the detail we're proudest of: it sounds like home, but in a video game.
Free, in your browser. No account, no store download: open the page and play, on a computer or a phone.
On your phone, like an app. Chicco installs on your smartphone and opens from there like any other app. It weighs less than 5 MB and works offline too: once installed, you don't need a connection.
You play with the keyboard on a computer and with touch buttons on a phone. There are three difficulty levels, three lives (which can be increased), and your high score is saved on your device. Along the way you collect golden ears of wheat for points — and, if you come across it, a pack of our Organic Pizza Flour, worth points and an extra life.
Free, in your browser or installed on your phone. Help Chicco become bread, unlock the 18 facts and the 8 recipes — and go looking for the secret level.
It might seem unusual for a mill in Laterza to develop a platform game. But for us it's a natural consequence of how we see communication: telling the story of wheat with today's tools, and speaking to people who will never set foot in a mill but spend their time on a screen. Children, families, the curious.
It's the same work on transparency we've been doing for years with Filiera Punto Zero — full traceability, zero food miles, no GMOs — told in another language: the language of play.
Chicco is born today, but his adventure doesn't end here: we're already working on new content for those who make it to the end. In the meantime, the best way to get to know him is to try him.
Pick up Chicco, jump the first obstacle, and begin the journey of wheat. The oven is far away, but the bread is worth the trip.
Played it? Tell us how it went on our social channels, and tag us at @molino.bongermino.