There is a single objective - categorical and challenging: bringing the best contacts to the fair to be at the service of companies and the fresh produce sector in its entirety, confirming itself as one of the best fairs of the sector. The 40th edition of the fair, which was born in Italy in the 1980s, in what was the leading fresh produce hub in Europe aims to make a qualitative leap.
President Renzo Piraccini
Macfrut 2023 (May 3rd-5th in Rimini) was presented on April 13th in Rome. "We already have 1100 exhibitors - our highest number so far - a 35% larger exhibition area and an expected presence of operators of 30%, i.e. double that of the past."
Group photo during the presentation in Rome, April 13th 2023
The large attendance by exhibitors and expected foreign visitors enables Macfrut to change gears and compete with the leading European events (Berlin and Madrid), without forgetting that they are indeed different events, as the Rimini fair is the only one dedicated to the entire chain and not just the commercial branch.
"This edition will speak many languages thanks to the team work carried out with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci) via the Ice Agency, which led to 50 international presentations (20 live and 30 streamed). Over the past few months, we travelled all over the world to reach and invite companies from all nations."
Calabrian councilor Gallo
The partner region of the 2023 edition is Calabria which, as stresses by the Regional Councilor for Agriculture Gianluca Gallo, "represents a territory suitable for all productions, as its climate varies greatly from the coast to the hinterland and to mountain areas. Various POs already invested to increase their produce availability, but we want to take advantage of Macfrut to promote our products and our companies."
The result of this massive commitment will be visible during the three-day event, which will also feature an entire hall dedicated to South America with new entries from Mexico (12 companies) and El Salvador (6 companies) together with Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
Other countries from Latin America (Honduras, Haiti, etc.) will be part of the IILA stand and “Foro Pymes”, promoted by IILA itself to strengthen relations between Italian and Latin American SMEs. 120 businesses have already confirmed their attendance. The focus on South America is organized in cooperation with Iila (Italy-Latin America International Organization), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci), Aics and Ice Agenzia.
Another hall will be dedicated to Africa, which has always been well represented at Macfrut. 19 countries will attend, some of which with a considerable number of companies, as is the case of Ghana (30 companies), Egypt (22), Nigeria (10) and Algeria (10).
Another new entry is Saudi Arabia, which will attend Macfrut for the first time, and the presence of Turkey is also of considerable importance. China will also be back with 30 companies - its first attendance in a foreign fair after Covid.