THE EIGHT DOP OF LoST EU CONQUER BERLIN, SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST FOREIGN MISSION OF LoST

The first event abroad of the LoST EU project was a great success, which took place in Berlin from Saturday 10th to Monday 12th February 2024 . The protagonists of this mission in Germany were, naturally, the eight excellent cheeses from the LoST basket: Murazzano DOP , Roccaverano DOP , Ossolano DOP , Puzzone di Moena DOP , Strachitunt DOP , Vastedda della Valle del Belice DOP , Pecorino Siciliano DOP and Provolone del Monaco DOP .

Over the weekend between 10th and 12th February, the representatives of the consortia and producers left from all over Italy to reach the German capital, with the aim of promoting their excellence and telling them to the public of professionals, journalists, buyers and Berlin food lovers . A first journey which had as its objective not only the promotion but also the creation of distribution networks aimed at that niche of German consumers who know how to grasp the traditional values linked to quality , respect for the environment , and above all to the theme of sustainability so strongly rooted in the various dairy companies involved in this journey.

THE PROGRAM OF EVENTS

The Berlin mission began on Saturday 10 February 2024 , with a singular welcome dinner entirely dedicated to the eight Lost DOPs. In the famous gourmet Pizzeria Prometeo Authentic Pizza in Berlin , the producers and over 20 German professionals present were able to enjoy a special menu created for the occasion by the master pizza chefs who created gourmet pizzas dedicated to each DOP cheese from the LoST basket, subscribing them to others typical products, not only Italian.

The promotional events then continued on Sunday 11 February at the Bar Café Aedes in Christinenstraße , with a masterclass dedicated to a selected audience of journalists, buyers, distributors and operators from the German food sector (over 40) to present the project and get to know the producers present , who talked about their realities and explained the characteristics of the different PDOs. The central element of the debate was the reflection on the agricultural crisis that Europe is facing, between tractor revolt and growing consumer distrust towards intensive farming, to which small, environmentally friendly LoST productions can be an answer and a virtuous example.

Following this, after a lunch of fresh pasta cooked for the occasion by the Berlin artisan pasta factory Mamma che Pasta with the eight Lost PDOs, the Walkaround tasting began, which saw the participation of over 500 visitors throughout the throughout the day, in two rooms specially set up with tasting tables dedicated to each PDO in the LoST basket. A fundamental moment of meeting and dialogue between producers and consumers, who were able to taste the products and learn about the different dairy excellences directly from the producers' stories. But also an opportunity to meet and dialogue with the numerous importers. Berlin wholesalers, restaurateurs and shops who joined the initiative were intrigued by products that are still little known in Germany.

Sunday dinner, curated by Chef Stefano Savoca , was once again organized to enhance the quality of the different LoST cheeses , with dedicated courses, such as the Piedmontese salad with Murazzano DOP and Roccaverano DOP, the spaghetti with cuttlefish ink and Provolone del Monaco DOP, or risotto with Pecorino Siciliano DOP cream and Ossolano DOP cubes, or parmigiana with teriyaki sauce and reduction of Puzzone di Moena DOP and Strachitunt DOP

What occupied the producers of the Lost Project on Monday 12 February were the visits together with Fabio Esposito , a Berlin wholesaler, to the most significant business realities in the city, such as FRESCO , the historic reference wholesaler for cheeses dedicated to the catering industry in Belrino. Or the delicatessen Da PINO , a true institution and the symbol of Made in Italy in Berlin, which boasts an incredible selection of regional cheeses and excellent authentic Italian cuisine

The success of this first LoST event abroad is not only confirmed by the extraordinary number of audiences and the professional quality of the business profiles who participated, but also by the enthusiasm that can be read in their comments

"Even though I already knew these cheeses" comments Gherlando Savaia, owner of Made in Italy UG, an Italian wine & food importer on the Berlin market for over 20 years, "I was able to appreciate the high quality of the producers involved, with the hope of be able to establish collaborative relationships with them.”

"The richness of Italian food and wine products is so immense that we need to continue to study every day with humility in our work" comments Tulio Gentili, manager of Salumeria da Pino, Feinkost and top restaurant in Berlin "which is why days like today are very precious also for us professionals in the sector who have been promoting Italy here in the German capital for over 30 years."

Marco d'Urso of Fresco Gmbh, historic Berlin importer and wholesaler of fresh Italian products for the catering and retail markets, comments: "In recent years we have been witnessing an interesting phenomenon in our work in the distribution of Italian cheeses and fresh products. little by little the demand for quality cheeses and cured meats to the detriment of pricey ones. Restaurateurs and their customers are much more attentive to the quality of the raw material and this opens up enormous opportunities for market niches that until now struggled on the German market. Precisely for this reason I joined today's event with interest, and I had the opportunity to discover many excellent cheeses that I didn't know about."

Claudio Baracato, owner of the Angolino restaurant in the center of Berlin, had the opportunity to appreciate "the very high quality of the PDOs presented in the LoST Eu project, opportunities which I hope will be more numerous in the city of Berlin, where a lot of space is given to Italian wine, but rarely do you have the opportunity to meet food producers like today at Aedes".

"I'm always interested in discovering new Italian cheeses," comments Stefano Savoca, chef and owner of Mamma che Pasta, a company that produces fresh artisanal pasta in Berlin, "And I find that these cheeses would be very interesting for some new lines of fillings."

LoST EU - Looking for the Sustainability of Taste in Europe - is a project supported by the European Union on the topic of sustainability and the promotion of small dairy denominations. The objective is to carry out a communication and event plan aimed at valorising some Italian dairy excellences, which today represent one of the many riches of the Italian gastronomic heritage, as well as an example of sustainability