When Rosemarie Met Shiitake
Rosemarie ‘RoRo’ L. Ranalli Ferranto (1939 to 2016) was the daughter of the late Giacomo “Jack” Ranalli and Natalina Canzano Ranalli, first-generation mushroom farmers and business owners in Avondale, PA. Raised on her father’s farm, RoRo became a tireless and enterprising steward of the mushroom industry throughout her life.
In 1972, RoRo founded Buona Foods, supplying mushrooms to local grocers and restaurateurs. In 1975, her husband, Robert “Bear” Ferranto, brought 26 years of production management experience to help expand the company. By 1990, they had added Bella Mushroom Farms in Landenberg, PA. Their three children—Peter, Robert, and Gale—joined the business, helping Buona Foods grow into one of the region’s most prominent mushroom companies.
RoRo was deeply committed to her Chester County community. She was a founding pioneer of the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival, a member of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce, and a past board member of the Kennett Area Senior Center. In 2001, she was honored as one of Pennsylvania’s “Best 50 Women in Business.”
After being diagnosed with ALS in 2015, RoRo fought a courageous battle. That same year, the Ferranto family established a fund in her name to support ALS United Mid-Atlantic’s Patient Services Program—a legacy of support that continues to this day.
Today, Buona Foods is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated mushroom farm that continues to thrive. The Ferranto family promotes a culture of honesty, hard work, and giving back—values practiced daily by everyone at Buona Foods, from harvesters to drivers to customer service.
RoRo’s memory lives on in the heart of the company she built and the community she loved.
Mushrooming Popularity
“Mush-Room” for Continued Growth
Because Buona Foods is a family business, Roro and Bear’s family sprouting new members has led to further cultivation of their mushroom company. The founders’ kids—Robert, Peter, and Gale—are also members of the Buona family, with Gale currently working as president and Peter as VP and operations manager.
Today, three generations of Ferrantos take a hands-on approach to ensuring Buona Foods packages and distributes fresh mushrooms from our Pennsylvania farm to your shelves in the same day. Our love for great mushrooms has cultivated success for our family business. And once your customers taste Buona mushrooms, your retail or foodservice business will share in that success.
