Mediterranean market: food, business and culture in Rome

Business, in-depth analysis and networking to enhance the foods, productions, traditions and cultures of the Mediterranean civilization with a view to economic development and dialogue: this in summary is "Mercato Mediterraneo", the Mediterranean agri-food exhibition to be held at Fiera di Roma from 9 to 12 November.

To talk about foods, cultures and mixtures, but also knowledge, ideas and experiences to tell the immense agri-food heritage and the millenary civilization of the Mediterranean will be companies, national and international buyers, institutional representatives, scholars and world-class experts to turn the spotlight on the productions of the countries bordering this large basin which today has 450 million inhabitants and represents a strategic market of growing centrality.

From extra virgin olive oil to wine, from pasta to ancient grains, from coffee to superfoods to preserved vegetables, numerous Med products will be at the center of the show which, through a busy program of meetings, will explore the future challenges of the fishing sector and the EVO oil supply chain, the new commercial developments that link China and the Mediterranean, the European projects for the agricultural growth of this area, the themes of sustainability in agriculture and beyond, the infrastructures and connection routes also intended as drivers of tourism as well as connection.
Exceptional 'storytellers', speakers of international caliber such as Paolo De Castro, First Vice President of the Agriculture and Rural Development Commission of the European Parliament; Alexandra Devarrenne, founder of the Calathena association and of the Olive Oil Alliance in California – Yale University; Kyriakides Tassos and Vasilis Vasiliou of Yale University, Educational Department; Emanuele Dughera, of Slow Food International; Michele Bungaro, head of communication of the International Olive Council.

“Mediterranean Market – explains the sole administrator and general manager of Fiera Roma, Pietro Piccinetti – fully responds to the vocation of a professional exhibition with an international scope, thanks to the active involvement of companies in the sector, selected buyers, associations, consortia, public bodies and individuals, universities and research organizations. But it is, at the same time, a crucial appointment for all stakeholders because it is able to offer in just four days an exhaustive overview of the productions and opportunities of the Mediterranean, emphasizing the business opportunities linked to agri-food sector which, for Italy, and Lazio in particular, represents an important productive asset for the area”.

The Mediterranean Market concept will therefore be AgroFoodMed which will be developed through 6 clusters: OlioMed and Poliphenolica, dedicated to the key product of the Mediterranean diet paradigm and its beneficial effects on health; VerdeMare, on sustainable fish production; Kaffeina, an area dedicated to the most loved drink in the world, where the stories of artisan roasting companies will alternate, including that of the historic Caffè Florian (the first café in Italy), and meetings with the "coffee makers" of the Med, with a keen eye production of so-called "super foods", such as chocolate, chilli pepper and avocado; Organic, which will stimulate consumers to learn about the origin of organic raw materials and the methods for obtaining healthy foods; Fuori Casa, which also includes the organization of the seminar "Il Cibo del Mare" with the participation of over 150 chefs from APCI - Professional Association of Italian Chefs, present in Rome for the Annual Congress "Les Toques Blanches d'Honneur", in which will receive a lifetime achievement award.

"Alongside the purely exhibition aspect, we will propose - underlines the cultural curator of Mercato Mediterraneo, Francesca Rocchi - a series of meetings and debates on the hot topics of the Med, involving the main stakeholders and some of the most important experts worldwide to take stock on driving sectors, such as agriculture and fishing of the future, but also on the value of traditions, of food, of those who produce it and of those who consume it”.