Extraordinary presence. Italy was the first and only partner country of the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, with the largest international pavilion and over 60 exhibitors. The “extraordinary” mission of bringing genuine Italian quality to the US food market was the main theme of the three-day event, as emphasized at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan 17 in the presence of Maurizio Forte, US Trade Commissioner of the Italian Trade Agency, Mauro Battocchi, Italy’s Consul General in San Francisco, and Chris Nemchek, senior vice president of the Specialty Food Association. Federalimentare, Tuttofood, Cibus, Vinitaly and Universal Marketing also attended. The new issue of Italianfood.net was on great display.
From private labels to own brands. Several Italian manufacturers have decided to launch their own brands in the US after decades serving the private label industry. Building a loyal customer base and tightening control of distribution was indicated as a core strategy by many participants at the show.
Regional specialties on the rise. The regional variety of Italy’s century-old food tradition is finally being recognized in the US as new consumers are careful about the origin and quality of food (Delicius, Terre Ducali, Veroni, among others).
New packaging: Italian brands presented carefully-studied packaging for their products. Labels were in Italian and in English, and clearly said when products are organic and gluten-free. Single-serve solutions were on display. Vintage look was also dominant (Di Martino, Il Boschetto, Piave 1938).
