Taste 2023 è stato spumeggiante!

Taste 2023 - a truly sparkling edition!

News

Edition 16

08.02.2023

The Pitti Immagine fair that presents the best of the excellences of taste and contemporary food culture at the Fortezza da Basso, has come to an end heralding another great success.

Buyers and exhibitors were very satisfied with the results of this edition: the selection and quality of the products and new ideas presented were rewarded, and the level of highly motivated buyers was superb.

More than 7,000 members of the trade attended, from over 50 countries, +40% compared to a year ago; there was an excellent and growing presence from the main foreign markets led by France, United States, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Over 10,000 visitors in total over the three days of the fair, great participation in the Talks, at the Rings and the events in the Fortezza, and at all the FuoriDiTaste rendezvous around the city.

The sixteenth edition of TASTE, which ended yesterday at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence (4-6 February 2023), met with huge and widespread enthusiasm from the members of the trade who came to Florence to discover the new gastronomic ideas and treasures of the 538 protagonist companies – taking part in high numbers in the events scheduled at the fair and around the city for Fuori di Taste.

Three days of high energy at the Fortezza and around the city marked by a great desire to discover all the latest ideas brought by our exhibitors, and all the new products proposed at this edition, alongside the history and typical characteristics of the companies that produce them, portraying a gastronomic patrimony – that of Italy – which seems inexhaustible. Once again, the selection of the companies and the scouting carried out – there were almost 100 new entries – were Taste’s strong points, judged to be of the highest level. A quality and selection that led to an increase in both the numbers and the level of the international members of the trade and buyers: an increasingly qualified presence of specialist stores, distributors, department stores, importers of Italian excellences, many of the best international names in the world of quality food, came to Florence even from new, distant markets, to meet their clients and establish new relationships. And in everybody’s opinion, the exhibition format and characteristics of the Fortezza da Basso, were confirmed as unique elements of the fair. I would like to conclude by expressing my appreciation for the events at this edition – the themed focus on pasta, the hot and original topics of the Taste Talks, and of the Rings curated by Davide Paolini, staged in the UniCredit Taste Arena, the many and very well-curated events around the city for FuoriDiTaste which showcased our companies in special locations in Florence – all elements that make Taste a true propagator of contemporary food trends.

— Agostino Poletto, general manager of Pitti Immagine

In total there were 7,050 members of the trade registered (of these around 6,000 were buyers) – up by 40% compared to March 2022: the numbers from abroad reached almost 600 buyers from 50 different countries (+20%); there was also an important rise for Italy with a total of over 6,400 operators (+43%), from all the regions.

The ranking of reference markets was led by France, followed by Germany, United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Lithuania.
Attendance was good from Scandinavia, high profile buyers and importers also arrived from Japan, South Korea, Continental China and Hong Kong China, as well as from other new distant markets like Australia, South Africa and from countries in Central Asia like Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan.

Overall, also considering the public of gourmets that entered the Fortezza over the three days, Taste welcomed more than 10,000 visitors.

To conclude, important numbers were also recorded by the Taste Shop, the store at the end of the exhibition itinerary where the public was able to purchase a selection of products by the companies at Taste, which sold a total of 13,000 items.

Among the many special participations at this edition we should mention the one by Coldiretti – the biggest trade association that brings together Italian farmers – which was present with a special lounge area where master classes were held dedicated to olive oil, and which also proposed two very popular encounters at the UniCredit Taste Arena – one dedicated to ”Italian Sounding: un danno economico e qualitativo al Made In Italy- Italian Sounding: a cause of economic and qualitative harm to Made In Italy” and the other on the topic of “L’origine della materia prima in etichetta: un must da difendere-The origin of the raw material on the label; a prequisite to be defended” – curated by Davide Paolini.