MILAN, Italy – This year, TUTTOFOOD has enlightened us with new trends and products, such as vegetable sorbets, the world’s first pasta made with coffee, balsamic vinegars that can be grated, mint burrata, and canned friarielli. But the organic industry was still the queen of the event.
Innovation found its perfect stage at TUTTOFOOD 2017, which closes its gates today at fieramilano: 4 intensive days of business meetups, talks, and high-quality content, which have consolidated the outstanding records of EXPO’s edition.
The figures say it all: 80,146 certified professionals (+2,5%) have visited the trade fair, 23% of which came from 141 countries and 45% from non-European countries. TUTTOFOOD confirmed, once again, to be an international high-quality food hub.
Other important figures come from the business matches generated from the new MyMatching platform, which successfully supported also the Grazie all’app (Thanks to the app) event: over 30,000 meetups arranged among the 2,850 exhibitors, of which 500 from foreign countries(+10%), and 3,150 profiled buyers, in addition to the spontaneous events, with an average of at least 8-10 meetups a day per exhibitor.
Italian buyers have appreciated the increase in number of targeted events, as well as the numerous dedicated initiatives organised under the aegis of Retail Next, and the wide visibility of international exhibitors, including large groups, which extended the range and innovation of the references.
Numerous delegations of buyers came from the targeted countries – USA, Canada, South America, Germany, and Gulf Countries – but also from historic markets as those of France, Benelux and the United Kingdom, and the fastest growing markets, such as China, India, South-East Asian Countries, and Africa, even thanks to the close collaboration with ICE (Italian Trade Agency), which has brought 250 new buyers to TUTTOFOOD.
“Selling in the French market – explains Pascal Charoppin – requires a presence in mass market distribution channels, as they cover over 80% of the overall retail sales. At TUTTOFOOD, you can find the best Italian traditional gourmet products, which can reach a wider audience”.
Non-European buyers have also given their articulated points of view. For Nina Liu, General Manager Assistant for the Chinese chain, Tube Station, “the middle class is starting to appreciate also the healthy aspects of Italian food, by choosing, for example, extra virgin olive oil. However, wine, especially red, is the current trend. At TUTTOFOOD, we can find products that meet both health requirements and trends.”
One of the most important Indian importers, based in Mumbai, added: “Italian cuisine is Indians’ third favourite food, after the Indian and Chinese. Middle to high end consumers are now able to distinguish between imitations and authentic Italian products, which are very much on demand for domestic and eat-out consumption.”
As for the United States – the first non-European market for the Italian F&B export – a team of 18 Walmart buyers has entered into an agreement with ICE (Italian Trade Agency) at TUTTOFOOD. This agreement will bring Italian agro-food products of small-medium producers to the shelves of 3,600 Walmart supermarkets.
The buyers’ reviews left the exhibitors extremely satisfied.
“We are extremely satisfied with our participation in TUTTOFOOD and we also recorded an excellent turnout of industry players and media – commented Valérie Hoff, Marketing Manager for La Linea Verde –. The new Fruit&Veg area allowed us to show what we do and provide a preview of the latest news regarding our brand.”
Stefano Raffaglio, General Manager for Dolcitalia, explained that “this year our stand has recorded 2,500 Italian and international visitors. All of them were interested in doing business with the company. These figures confirm our leading role in this industry.
The 2017 edition of TUTTOFOOD has been a true success and everything went very smoothly.”
The exhibitors of large international collective exhibitors, such as Argentina, agree with this statement. Luciano Tantto, Consul General of the Economic and Commercial Sector of the Argentinian Consulate in Milan declared: “We have appreciated the organisation, content, and events.
TUTTOFOOD provided Argentina with a unique possibility to present itself not only as the world’s granary, but also as the world’s supermarket. Among the various products we showcased, we have Malbec red wine and the famous mate.”
The over 500 moments of reflection between ACADEMY, Retail Plaza, Spazio Nutrizione, and Seeds&Chips have confirmed TUTTOFOOD as the focal point that joins supply chains, as it focuses on all types of industry players, and anticipates trends and innovations, besides being a must-attend business event.
Another success was the debut of Week&Food, the fringe event that, with over 48 thousand participants in its city events, has contributed for about one fourth to the 178 thousand overall participants in the week dedicated to food, Milano Food City.
The seventh edition of TUTTOFOOD will take place at fieramilano from 6 to 9 May 2019.
