Piedmontese food and wine conquers New York. From 23 to 25 June, thirteen Piedmontese food companies will take part in the 68th edition of the Summer Fancy Food in New York, the largest trade event in the United States dedicated to the food industry, which will be held at the Javits Convention Center. The fair expects over 30 thousand visitors and the participation of 800 journalists. The Piedmontese delegation will be led by the President of the Region, Alberto Cirio, who will support the operators together with the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida.
“Being among the leading regions of Italy in terms of economic and commercial relations established with the USA – states Cirio – means for Piedmont having increased competitiveness and attractiveness. Our work, on the one hand, supports the growth of export activities towards The United States, which represents almost 10% of sales of Piedmontese products abroad, on the other hand, favors the establishment of important American businesses in our territory. The third pillar of this strong relationship is tourism, with an ever-increasing number of US visitors choosing our region. Our objective now is to deploy new resources to fuel these exchanges which constitute a driving force for the economy and employment”.
This initiative represents a significant opportunity for a crucial sector for the Piedmontese economy: only as regards the US market, Piedmontese exports are worth around 1.3 billion euros, a result that places Piedmont in fifth place in the national ranking of regions that trade with the USA. Agri-food exports represent approximately 172 million euros and are constantly growing. US capital companies in Piedmont make up as much as 9.8% of foreign capital companies in the area (not only in the food sector, but also in drinks, then naturally in wine production – but they provide work for almost 20% of the workers and generate 20.4% of the turnover. In 2023, the presence of US tourists in Piedmont is increased by almost 35% compared to 2022. Over the last ten years, over 136 thousand arrivals and almost 359 thousand overnight stays have been recorded from the United States, with an increase of over 70% compared to 2014.
Piedmontese participation in New York will be coordinated by the Region through the integrated “Pif agroalimentare” supply chain project, created in collaboration with Ceipiemonte, the agency owned by the Region and the Piedmontese Chambers of Commerce which provides services to local companies for their promotion abroad and to foreign companies interested in investing in Turin and Piedmont. There will be cooking shows and tastings of recipes and typical Piedmontese products prepared by Silvia Baldini, award-winning chef, entrepreneur and best-selling author. On June 24th, outside the fair, at the De Gustibus cooking school, an event hosted by the television producer will be held Kathy McCabe, an expert connoisseur of Piedmont, during which an aperitif will be served to present the region’s autumn food and wine offer to American journalists. Silvia Baldini will cook a typical Piedmontese first course and dessert.
