At this moment Italian biscuits and bakery companies are expanding very fast as they are increasingly focused on foreign markets to sell their products and sometimes they especially produce items for those markets. This is the case of Alce Nero which, in 2015, already presented a range of products especially created for the foreign market by developing an exclusive type of shortbread biscuits with semi-whole wheat flour and chocolate drops, and of the MangiarsanoGerminal Group, that launched products for the French and Belgian markets with the GerminalBio brand. In addition to that, the group presented four BioJunior brand products to the Chinese market, a product line developed for young children for the organic baby food market. All of these products are certified by the Organic Food Development Centre for organic food processed in the People’s Republic of China. Thanks to a partnership with Walmart, Misura entered the Mexican market, while Sarchio focuses on Spain, a market where customers’ tastes are very similar to Italian’s and where they have recently opened the branch, Sarchio Iberia. Elledi is planning to reinforce its presence and its market share in the shortbread category, and they have recently enlarged their product portfolio; a new range of shortbread biscuits, including ten products for breakfast and two functional products (without added sugar and low fat), has been added to the existing two ranges of classical shortbread biscuits for breakfast. With this product line we offer recipes without palm oil, explains Giorgio Gianstefani, Marketing Manager at Elledi, and existing products have been reviewed and proposed in a palm oil-free version and all packs have a similar design.
TRADITION COMES FIRST – Consumers are looking for products that can be immediately recognizable, rather than revolutionary. Tradition is an important factor in their decisions because it inspires trust and reliability. This is for example the case of ancient grains and traditional recipes, according to an analysis by Mintel of 2017 trends with a global impact.
FORNO BONOMI, FOCUS ON THE UNITED STATED AND ASIA – With a presence in 85 countries and an export turnover that accounts to about 65% of the total turnover, Forno Bonomi has recently launched the first product of an innovative range of products made with a base of butter, called the Italian Butter Shortbread, which is prepared with 27% Italian butter. We are delighted that our international partners have understood our decision of focusing on high-quality products that are as close as possible to our territory of origin and is guaranteed, states Federica Bonomi, export area Manager from Forno Bonomi. Looking to the future, the company is evaluating new expansion strategies, especially in the Middle East and in Asia, and is working to reinforce its presence in South America. In the United States, where it has been present for more than thirty years, Forno Bonomi is a leading company in the Horeca and food service sectors and is present with the distributor brand in the main American food chains such as Kroger and Whole Foods.