Record-breaking Italy, Fancy Food partner for the fourth time, no one has ever received this recognition.
NEW YORK (January 13, 2025) – The Specialty Food Association is proud to announce that Italy will be the PARTNER COUNTRY for both Fancy Food Shows:
- Winter Fancy Food Show, January 19-21, 2025, at the Las Vegas Convention Center
- Summer Fancy Food Show, June 29-July 1, 2025, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York
Italy’s achievement is an absolute first; no one has ever received this recognition from the Specialty Food Association, the show’s owner and producer.
The Specialty Food Association is the largest food network in the United States, founded in 1952 in New York, by importers and entrepreneurs. It is a non-profit association with 3,000 members in the United States and abroad.
The Fancy Food Shows, with the Winter edition in Las Vegas and the Summer edition in New York, are among the most important food trade shows on a global level.
This is the first time that a country has the opportunity to be a Partner Country for the fourth time.
The Italian Pavilion at the Fancy Food Shows has been a symbol of excellence for decades, as well as a reference point for promoting Made in Italy products in the food and agriculture sector.
Organized and curated by Universal Marketing, the exclusive agent for Italy of the Specialty Food Association, this space represents a unique opportunity for Italian producers to reach the international market, showing the best of Italy’s gastronomic tradition and innovation.
The great collaboration between the Specialty Food Association, the Italian Trade Agency and Universal Marketing in creating the Fancy Food Shows is an important example of synergy between public and private entities working to promote Italian products in the United States.
It all begins on January 19 with the Winter Fancy Food Show.
The magic of Las Vegas, and an exceptional location like the Las Vegas Convention Center, will again be the “winter home” of Fancy Food.
Italian excellence will come to life in the tradition Italian Pavilion, the largest exhibition space in the whole show’s international area; the Italian area measuring approximately 1000 m2 will host 101 stands, the best of Italian food and agriculture companies and the regional districts of Piedmont, Calabria and Sicily.
So many new things in 2025
The Italian Pavilion, as always, will present the entire range of Made in Italy food and agriculture products, and there will be plenty of attractions, promotional activities and cooking demos on the first and second day of the show.
Italian companies will be in a dedicated area, a structure with a strong visual impact created by a new dedicated structure, all accompanied by a naming and visual campaign created for the occasion, Italia, the Art of Taste, where Renaissance-inspired reproductions with depictions of Italian food culture will landscape the Italian Pavilion.
The traditional Lounge organized by the ICE (Italian Trade Agency), created in a very central location within the Italian Pavilion, will again present a special area dedicated to the ITALIAN APERITIF. All visitors will also be able to share an experience in pure Italian style with stations dedicated to typical products from the great Made in Italy tradition: charcuterie, cheeses and coffee.
“The entire SFA team is buzzing about working with Italy on both of the 2025 Fancy Food Shows,” said Bill Lynch, SFA President. “Our friends at Universal Marketing have developed some new ideas and activations for their Pavilions and elsewhere on the Show Floor that will put the quality and sensory appeal of Italian cuisine front and center for our attendees, from live chef demonstrations to new product spotlights and more. We’re grateful to have Italy as our partner in planning unforgettable experiences at the next two Fancy Food Shows.”
The ICE Agency is committed to supporting the food and agriculture sector in the U.S. and, with the precious collaboration of the organizers, SFA and Universal Marketing, the ICE office in New York is once again offering a space for communication, tastings of genuine products and assistance available to the Italian Pavilion companies.
Italy, Partner Country at the 2025 Fancy Food Shows, first in Las Vegas and then in New York, is an honor for the Italian System, but above all it is a recognition to the Italian companies for their ability to ensure a wide selection of products of quality and excellence, which Americans continue to value more and more each year, as the most recent data confirms.
In 2024, exports in the sector to the U.S. were equal to 7.3 billion dollars with partial data from the first 9 months of 2024, equal to 6.3 billion dollars, with a double-digit trend growth, exceeding 17%. Products such as water, pasta, cheeses, oil, wine and sauces are always at the top of American consumer preferences, contributing to the third position overall in Italian exports in the sector, after Mexico and Canada,” stated Erica di Giovancarlo, Director of the ICE Agency in New York and Coordinator of the US network.
“Thirty years ago, we accepted an extraordinary challenge, to take part in the creation of the Italian Pavilion within the Fancy Food Shows, and today we are very proud to contribute to making Italy the Partner Country for the 2025 Fancy Food Shows for the fourth time,” declared Donato Cinelli, President of Universal Marketing, the exclusive agent for Italy of the Specialty Food Association.
“One step after another, we have seen the growth of Italian entrepreneurs, districts and consortiums, which over time have understood the importance of telling the story of their product; today more than ever, the United States is fascinated by Made in Italy stories: Quality, Passion and Success.”
“Italian food represents a standard of excellence in the United States.
Italy is the largest international pavilion at the Fancy Food Shows and over the years it has contributed significantly to the strength and quality of the show,” Cinelli concluded.
Photo: Donato Cinelli, President of Universal Marketing, the exclusive agent for Italy of the Specialty Food Association – Phil Robinson, Senior Vice President Specialty Food Association Erica Di Giovancarlo, Director of the ICE Agency in New York and Coordinator of the USA network – Aurora Cavallo, Cooker Girl – Fabrizio di Michele, Consul General of Italy in New York