Comunicato stampa
It was held on 19 March the appointment of 100per100 Italian Talks dedicated to the Japanese market, with six exceptional speakers who shared their vision on the new dynamics of Made in Italy export to Japan.
A digital edition of the Talks told through a sparkling and innovative format, signed by I Love Italian Food, which includes four other appointments in the course of 2021.
“One year after the start of the pandemic, we have all changed habits, the way we communicate has changed and the way we export is also changing. Japan is the fifth country for export of made in Italy products, but to spread Italian products and food, is the concept of made in Italy enough? Or are new strategies needed? Hence the reason for these Talks: to propose visions and points of view on how to improve the export of Italian products on the Japanese market. " says Alessandro Schiatti, CEO of I Love Italian Food.
Moderated by Stephanie Viti, journalist and Nipponist, the conference was the stage for the launch of new possible strategies for the diffusion of Made in Italy in Japan.
To open the dance Tiziana Alamprese, Marketing Director of the FCA Japan group, a true representative of Italy and the Italian spirit. Alamprese, for 16 years in the Italian automotive group, talks about the importance of using Made in Italy as a reference icon for the positioning of its brands and the cultural contamination between Japan and Italy as a backbone. Investments in digital and social media are the winning weapon for obtaining a strong competitive advantage, especially in the pandemic phase. The secret to conquering Japan? According to Tiziana Alamprese it is "the construction of a constant online presence, reassuring and culturally similar to the target, engaging and viral on social media".
This is followed by the intervention of Salvatore Cuomo, Italian entrepreneur, restaurateur and chef known in Japan as “The Pizza Man”. In his speech, he tells how the pandemic has changed, among other things, communication with customers, as well as with staff. The impossibility of traveling with the same frequency as before, in fact, forced him to implement new solutions, luckily exploiting the available technology. A strong need to adapt to this change, which has led on the one hand to the spread of remote work and, on the other hand, to the necessary and consequent development of delivery. With smart working, in fact, more and more people use this service to the point that "a strengthening of this sector is strongly desired, which is becoming a vital outlet with which to relaunch the restaurant business". It is therefore a message of hope that of Salvatore Cuomo, who invites everyone, including Italian producers, to take advantage of the opportunities of this moment and to learn to live with Covid.
To represent the world of wine, the great excellence of Made in Italy, Shigeru Hayashi, the first Japanese professional sommelier in Italy and expert in Italian wines, who with his company Solo Italia deals with imports for the sector. After having presented the Japanese historical context from which, starting from the 20s, the importation of Italian products has developed, Hayashi points out that Italian wine still represents only XNUMX% of the wine imported into Japan. In fact, despite the large number of Italian restaurants, there are still limits to the success of these products on the Japanese market. Given the complex situation exacerbated by the pandemic, Shigeru Hayashi sends a message of encouragement: on the one hand he suggests to producers and importers of "transform this situation into an opportunity by developing products suitable for domestic consumption". On the other hand, it also suggests to the Japanese to combine Italian wine with the foods they usually consume at home, especially at this time when consumption outside the home has decreased.
The conference continues with the intervention of the Doctor Erica DiGiovancarlo, Director of the ICE Italian Trade Agency Office in Tokyo. The picture of the Japanese market described by Dr. Di Giovancarlo is the one that sees, starting from 2019, the entry into force of the free trade agreements between the European Union and Japan, agreements that naturally have given a great boost also to Made in Italy. However, the year of the pandemic marks a minus for the Italian agri-food sector, which is losing positions with a decline of 7,6%. In his speech, however, Di Giovancarlo points out that if on the one hand there are decreases for products such as wine and cheeses, pasta and tomato preserves have instead given excellent performances. Indeed, "the agri-food sector in 2020 demonstrated the ability to continue growing despite the dramatically complicated situation”Says Dr. Di Giovancarlo. This is also demonstrated by the numerous activities of ICE to support Italian producers: from the just concluded Foodex, which saw the participation of 100 Italian companies, to B2B meetings with buyers, from collaborations with large-scale distribution, to events, which will soon start again. in presence.
It is then the turn of Pio D'Emilia, journalist and writer, correspondent for Sky TG24 in Asia.
In his speech he underlines the strong similarities between Italy and Japan, especially at the gastro-cultural level, starting for example with the enhancement of raw materials. Precisely this rigor towards the products and preparations, which unites Italians and Japanese, has allowed Japan to host restaurants of the highest level of Italian cuisine, even when they are guided by local professionals, and not Italians. "This gives the measure of why the Japanese are so attracted to our flavors, our presentations, our way of eating, which is also a lifestyle.. " states Pio D'Emilia who concludes his speech by also mentioning the productive interchange that binds the two countries.
The talk by Miciyo Yamada, journalist, writer and olive oil taster recognized by the Mipaaf. Yamada focuses precisely on the world of olive oil, explaining how imports of this product into Japan have registered an increase even during the pandemic. The Japanese people, in fact, are very attentive to the concept of healthy but, with the new habits in terms of consumption outside the home, the importance of tools such as storytelling and branding cannot be diminished to raise awareness of made products even more. in Italy and transmit the right notions.
In fact, research showed that "the second cuisine that the Japanese prefer after the Japanese one, of course, is the Italian one”, Therefore it is increasingly necessary for Italian producers to use Japanese media and languages to address local consumers and transmit knowledge about products.
This Japanese edition of the 100per100 Italian Talks has therefore brought back a complex picture with heterogeneous visions regarding the strategies to improve Made in Italy exports to Japan. To compose the picture, not only the interventions of the speakers, but also the messages of the six Protection Consortia that supported the I Love Italian Food initiative: Prosecco DOC, Lambrusco, Asiago, Gorgonzola, Taleggio and Pecorino Sardo. All realities that not even Covid-19 has managed to stop and that have decided to look beyond the pandemic and invest precisely in exports. Great hope also from the partners of the Talks, such as the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the Italy Japan Foundation, but also from the media partners Italianity, Garage Pizza and italiani.it.
The full video of 100per100 Italian Talks is available in Italian at this link and in Japanese a this link.
100per100 Italian Talks are a project realized thanks to the support of: Consortium for the protection of DOC Prosecco, Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco, Consortium for the Protection of Asiago Cheese, Consortium for the Protection of Gorgonzola DOP Cheese, Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Sardo Cheese, Consortium for the Protection of Taleggio Cheese.
In collaboration with Italianity, Garage Pizza, italiani.it and Kibo and with the patronage of ITA Italian Trade Agency and Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
I Love Italian Food is the international network that promotes and defends the true Italian food and wine culture.
A community that since 2015 has reached more than three billion digital contacts around the world.
With its network of professionals, it produces contents for the narration of Italian food, organizes international events to create dialogue with professionals and supports research and training initiatives, to teach Italian products and cuisine to international professionals.
I Love Italian Food, born to promote the authentic Italian food. With Love
Leave a comment (0)