Italian food exports have passed a historic milestone: €70.7bn between June 2024 and May 2025, nearly double the €37bn of 2015. The surge underscores the global strength of “Made in Italy”, built on quality, tradition, and innovation.
Italian food exports rose 5.6% year-on-year in the first five months of 2025, with agriculture up 9.4% (€4.4bn) and food and drink industries up 5% (€25.7bn). Growth was strongest in Poland (+17.1%), Spain (+16.6%), and Germany (+12.6%). Even the US (+6.9%) and Turkey (+11.3%) posted solid gains.
A decade ago, Italy’s agri-food trade balance was in deficit by €7.6bn. Today, it shows a surplus of more than €1bn—a dramatic turnaround that reflects the rise of competitive, integrated supply chains.
PASTA, WINE, AND CHEESE: GLOBAL CHAMPIONS
Italy now leads world exports of pasta, tomato products, prosciutto, aceto, vermouth, and apples. It has overtaken France and the Netherlands in cheese exports (€5.8bn) and is closing in on Germany (€6.7bn). It ranks second in wine (€8.8bn, behind France’s €12.7bn) and in roasted coffee (€2.2bn, after Switzerland—a trader, not a producer).
A POWERHOUSE BEYOND FOOD EXPORTS
Food is now Italy’s largest manufacturing sector outside automobiles: €257bn in output, €80bn in value added, and 1.4m jobs. It blends global brands with thousands of SMEs, balancing heritage with modernisation.
THE STORY BEYOND NUMBERS
But success is not just statistical. Consumer choices are shifting fast, shaped by social media and generational change. During the Italia del Gusto (IDG) Day 2025, a food-industry forum on Lake Garda, firms debated how to sell not just products but identities—authentic, sustainable, and digital-ready.
For Giacomo Ponti (pictured, left), president of Italia del Gusto Consortium, the €70bn milestone shows how Italy has “turned tradition and quality into a motor of international growth.” Luigi Consiglio of Eccellenze d’Impresa strategic consulting firm adds that communication is now as crucial as supply chains in facing tariffs and global headwinds.
Despite looming risks—such as possible US duties on wine, olive oil, and cheese—the resilience of Italy’s food industry is clear. The country has turned culinary heritage into an export machine, competing not only with taste, but with storytelling.