In the landscape of international food fairs, few events carry the symbolic and commercial weight of New York’s Summer Fancy Food Show. And while 2025 marks a grand comeback for many exhibitors, for Italy it represents consolidation. For the first time ever, our country will be Country Partner for both the winter and summer editions: a double achievement never seen before.
“We are honored to have Italy as Country Partner for both the winter and summer editions of this year’s show — it’s the first time this has ever happened!”
Bill Lynch, President of the SFA
Underlining this central role are some impressive numbers. With 320 companies, 350 booths, and over 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, the Italian Pavilion is not only the largest at the fair but also the richest in regional representation.
The event, organized by the Specialty Food Association and managed in Italy by Universal Marketing, thus becomes a true relational platform where commercial agreements are forged and identities are told. The presence this year of regions like Lazio, Sardinia, and Marche—absent for some time—joins that of long-standing participants such as Sicily, Calabria, Campania, Piedmont, and Liguria. It’s an almost choral representation of Italian food, aiming to showcase the variety of national production, from artisanal specialties to more structured brands.
“The Summer Fancy Food Show has long been an extraordinary opportunity to tell the story of Italy through its agri-food excellence”
Erica Di Giovancarlo, Director of the ICE Agency in New York and USA Network Coordinator
The U.S. market continues to be one of the most receptive to Made in Italy, especially in the agri-food sector. Data from the first quarter of 2025 show a 16.6% increase in Italian wine exports to the U.S. compared to the same period last year, along with significant growth in processed meats. But what’s most striking is Italy’s absolute dominance in key categories such as pasta, canned tomatoes, rice, mineral water, vinegar, and cheese. This is a leadership built over time, starting in the second half of the twentieth century, when Italian products began entering the U.S. market not just through ethnic restaurants but also via large-scale retail.
Making Italy’s participation even more strategic is the presence of ICE – the Italian Trade Agency, which, through the ICE Lounge and direct support to operators, helps strengthen the promotional impact of the Italian mission. The agency is part of a broader system working to enhance the quality and originality of Italian products, fostering connections between producers and international buyers, and assuming something of a director’s role: creating opportunities for dialogue, supporting small businesses, and shaping the narrative of Made in Italy.
Beyond the booths and exhibitions, the Fancy Food Show is also a spectacle. Cooking shows with well-known faces from Giallo Zafferano, thematic tastings, and a completely redesigned Italian Pavilion aim to engage even the casual visitor—someone not just there to sign deals, but to live an experience. Food is thus restored to its sensory and cultural dimension, becoming a tool of storytelling and identity. In an age where the origin and history of products become part of their commercial value, the Italian approach—rooted in territory, craftsmanship, and innovation—seems to align perfectly with expectations.
Behind the scenes is the thirty-year-long work of Donato Cinelli and the Universal Marketing team, who over time have built a stable and recognizable Italian presence at major industry events in the United States. The strength of this project also lies in its ability to bring together highly diverse production realities—small family businesses, consortia, large brands—under one coherent umbrella. The result is not just an impressive exhibition, but a genuine ecosystem: a space where Italian food is not merely sold, but presented as part of a broader identity.
