June 23 to June 25, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.

Italy is the big star of the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show, which opens on June 23 in New York.

300 companies and 26,500 sq. ft. of surface area at the Javits Center in New York City, home to this trade show dedicated to specialty food and drink, the largest and most important of its kind in North America and currently considered by many insiders to be the most important in the world.

The Italian Pavilion, once again the most expansive international area, will present the entire range of Made in Italy food and agriculture products under the umbrella of the distinctive sign, “The Extraordinary Italian Taste.”

An Italy Pavilion that features an innovative design, created to increase the comfort level for exhibitors and visitors who will find the spaces even more business oriented.

A successful and highly anticipated date, the Italian Food Awards USA, dedicated to the excellent Italian entities that operate in the U.S., now in its third edition on American soil.

Italian Food Awards is a production: Food Magazine and Universal Marketing with the support of the Specialty Food Association.

Based on data from the ICE Agency in New York, the value of Italian exports in the U.S. in the first 4 months of 2019 increased 0.7% compared to the same period last year, reaching an amount of 1.691 billion USD.

In 2018 sales of Italian products totaled 5.180 billion USD at a growth of 7.9% compared to 2017.

Italy holds fifth place in the ranking of world exporters in the United States, with a market share of 3.2% after Mexico, Canada, Chile and France.

Italy, instead, is the U.S.’s number one supplier, with very high market shares, for almost all typical Made in Italy specialties, such as, wine, pasta, olive oil, cheese, balsamic vinegar and mineral waters.

Phil Kafarakis, President, Specialty Food Association:

“The Fancy Food Show is the largest trade show of food specialties in North America.

The Specialty Food Association is thrilled to continue its strong relationship with Italian food producers, a relationship that has become increasingly strong over the many years of working together.

The Italian pavilion, the largest in number of exhibitors and square meters of surface area, always enjoys great success with its very high quality products.

At the Summer Fancy Food, Italy with more than 300 exhibitors,” declares Maurizio Forte, Director of the ICE Agency in New York and Coordinator of the USA network, “is once again the most highly represented country after the hosts. The strong tradition of Made in Italy food and agriculture joins together with our businesses’ great capacity for innovation in products, packaging and methods of using foods, with a greater attention to sustainability throughout the production chain.

Italian competitiveness is confirmed by our products’ leadership position and, within this framework, ICE Agency’s promotional activity continues on behalf of the food and wine sector in the U.S. with a strong commitment from the Italian government. Proven and successful,” Maurizio Forte concludes, “is the partnership with the Specialty Food Association, Federalimentare, Cibus, TuttoFood, Vinitaly and Universal Marketing.”

“We are truly proud of the work that’s been done,” declared Donato Cinelli, President of Universal Marketing, the exclusive agent for Italy of the Specialty Food Association. “Today the U.S. truly represents the ideal place to the highlight the Italian product to the utmost. Our Made in Italy is a pillar of the culture of beauty that Americans are seeking.

Summer Fancy Food is at the height of its success,” Cinelli continues, “and with our great satisfaction, year after year, we note the satisfaction of Italian Food players.

Like Universal Marketing, Cinelli concludes, “we’re very proud to be an integral part of the process of development, integration and growth that Italian companies are experiencing in the United States of America.