San Francisco – Made in Italy food and beverage products confirm once again they are market leaders in the USA and at Winter Fancy Food, starting today at the Moscone Center.

For both 2020 events, the Specialty Food Association named Italy its Country Partner: this element will give major visibility to the Italian Pavilion and gain special attention from the trade visitors attending the show. This is an exceptional recognition as it is usually only given during the summer edition. Additionally, it is the first time that a country is re-nominated, as Italy was already Fancy Food Country Partner in 2015.

During the first nine months of 2019, according to the Department of Commerce data, Italian food and beverage export towards the USA amounted to almost 4 billion dollars, increasing by 5.9% compared to 2018. Italy remains the leader in many food and beverage categories, including cheese, olive oil, pasta, mineral water, vinegar, and the USA confirms itself yet again as the first export market outside of the European Union.

The Italian Trade Agency participates at the Winter Fancy Food, held at the Moscone Center, alongside its institutional partners, Federalimentare, Cibus, Tuttofood and Vinitaly, continuing its partnership with the Specialty Food Association and Universal Marketing.

The Italian Pavilion, typically the largest one of the international area, hosts over 60 companies which showcase the entire range of the Made in Italy F&B sector, under the umbrella campaign “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” that promotes authentic Italian foods around the world. In addition, there are another 25 companies in individual booths around the show, totaling over 90 Italian exhibitors, occupying an area of around 12,000 sq ft.

The program that the Italian Trade Agency planned with Federalimentare, Fieramilano, Fiere di Parma and Veronafiere, in support of the WFF 2020 Italian exhibitors consists of the following:

1. Incoming for 13 hospitality and GDO trade members selected from markets not close to the West Coast;

2. Show cooking activity in the Italian Lounge (stand 1267), promoting and exhibiting products from the companies in the Italian Pavilion;

3. Wine Bar curated by Vinitaly International;

4. Italian Pavilion Graphics showcasing the “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” and “Italy” logos to create a cohesive look and attract the visitors;

5. Communication activities targeting, via direct-mailing, national trade professionals of the industry inviting them to come visit the Italian exhibitors;

6. TASTE IT LIVE AREA: a new space, between the North and South Hall, dedicated to the specific promotion of the products that were recently hit by the US tariffs. A chef will present different unbranded cheese and cold cut categories alongside a bartender that will liven up the day with a typical Italian aperitivo in several occasions;

7. Specialty Food Association Buyer’s Lounge: for the first time, there will be an Italian corner in the Lounge dedicated to the Specialty Food Association members. The Italian Trade Agency will display products from the categories hit by the US tariffs, all unbranded besides the spirits;

8. NETWORKING DINNER planned for the evening of January 20, at 5:30 pm at the Westin St Francis hotel, close to the Moscone Center. The event will host over 200 persons, including Italian exhibitors, local trade members and press of the sector. During this occasion, the categories hit by the US tariffs will be showcased in a display area.

The promotion of the products hit by the US tariffs was organized in collaboration with Assica, Assolatte and Federvini-Spirits section.

The Italian Trade Agency activities in the USA, started in 2015 with the goal of maximizing the internationalization of Italian products, are based on four main pillars:

• Communication campaign targeting the American consumer and developing its knowledge of authentic Italian products. During the first year (2015-2016), the campaign “Buy Authentic Italian. Get More” reached around one billion impressions. The following one in 2018, dedicated to the phenomenon of Italian Sounding, utilized a new graphic with the goal of encouraging the consumer to verify the authenticity of the product by reading the label, using the claim “The label says it all”;

• Partnerships with retailers in the USA expanding to over 10,400 stores, which lead to the introduction of over 900 new Italian suppliers and involved overall 4,800 Italian companies;

• Incoming to the main Italian exhibitions, in collaboration with Cibus, Tuttofood, Sana, Sigep, Marca and Vinitaly. Since 2015, over 650 American trade professionals and journalists have been invited to participate in these programs;

• Presence in the main USA fairs: Winter and Summer Fancy Food (in San Francisco and New York) and Chicago’s PLMA dedicated to the private label industry.