Italian Presence At PLMA Show Continues To Grow
Retail buyers shopping the aisles of the PLMA 2023 Private Label Trade Show may notice this year’s event will have an enhanced international flavor.
According to PLMA, the Chicago event will feature more than 700 specialty food and nonfood exhibitors from nearly 60 countries in Europe, South America and Asia. Vendors from these countries will feature their products in more than 30 national pavilions on the show floor at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
With the private label marketplace in the United States continuing to grow, so too do opportunities for international suppliers to find their way onto the shelves of leading retailers. In the second of three interviews with international trade groups, Store Brands spoke with Marco Verna, commissioner with the Italian Trade Agency. He shared insight on the unique products suppliers from Italy offer and the opportunities to expand business in the U.S.
STORE BRANDS: How many companies from your country will be featured at this year’s PLMA Show in Chicago? How has the presence of companies from your country grown at the show in recent years?
MARCO VERNA: Italy’s participation at PLMA Chicago continues to grow year after year. This November at the PLMA Show in Chicago, retailers can discover Italy simply by visiting more than 90 Italian companies. The official Italian pavilions coordinated by our ITA Chicago Office will feature the production of 69 leading Italian producers, of which 64 companies will be in the Food & Beverage pavilion and five companies in our Home & Health pavilion. An additional 22 Italian producers will be exhibiting outside of our Food and Beverages pavilions.
STORE BRANDS: What are the opportunities within the U.S. private label sector that your organization sees for product suppliers from your country?
VERNA: Trends in the United States supporting authentic Italian products continue to be strong. Both private label and premium specialty items are growing even more dramatically in U.S. supermarkets. Consumer interest in “touring the world through food” has not diminished and Italian cuisine remains the preferred destination. Italy has always been known for its long-standing manufacturing traditions.
STORE BRANDS: What types of products is your country best known for?
VERNA: Wines, pasta, olive oil, cured meats and cheeses, balsamic vinegar, gelato, pizza, baked products, espresso, non-alcoholic beverages, are just a few iconic foods that Italy is known for. Italy is synonymous with great food. Italian cuisine is renowned around the world for its rich flavors, fresh ingredients, and innovative combinations. Italy holds the world record in the number of protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) food and wine products with 818 protected geographical indications registered in Europe. PDO and PGI products represent the excellence of European agricultural food production and are both the result of a unique combination of human and environmental factors that are characteristic of a specific territory. This is why the European Union dictates precise regulations for their protection, creating specific quality standard regimes that protect the good faith of consumers and with the purpose of giving producers concrete instruments for identifying and promoting products with specific characteristics in a better way, as well as protecting them from unfair practices
STORE BRANDS: What are the advantages of doing business with companies from your country?
VERNA: We share with U.S. retailers information about the additional business opportunities and profits Italian specialty products can deliver. We invite their buyers as guests of the Italian Trade Agency to attend Italy’s most important food & beverage trade exhibitions. They can also avail themselves of the promotional funding available through our government agency. All of these advantages are at the disposal of interested U.S. retailers that can be accessed as a direct result of doing business with our Italian food & beverage producers.
STORE BRANDS: Have there been any enhancements/changes made recently within your country to supply chain, business or other factors that make it easier to do business with companies in your country?
VERNA: Our Italian food & beverage producers know that the American market is the largest and most important market in the world. In their quest to effectively enter and compete, they have made a number of investments that range from securing the necessary product certifications that the U.S. market demands, which includes staffing English speaking personnel in their export departments. Many companies have established U.S. branch offices and are warehousing their products in U.S. facilities to faster, better, and more efficiently fulfill purchase orders without the need of shipping the product from Italy.
STORE BRANDS: When doing business with companies from your country, what are some important factors U.S. retailers need to know?
VERNA: Retailer private brands have witnessed a major expansion of premium and better-for-you offerings, accelerating growth and opportunity for Italian manufacturers. Many retailers have introduced new niche and department-specific brands and most have elevated better-for-you brands to primary brand status. Our Italian Trade Agency has invested significantly in leveraging this opportunity through trade missions to Italy’s most important food related trade exhibitions, ongoing retailer partnerships and expanded trade show activities in the U.S. Our message and mission remain clear and simple: optimize opportunities for retailers importing Italian products.
