The prestigious ITALY FOOD AWARD Gala took place in the splendid setting of Villa Renoir in Legnano.
A success staged with extraordinary companies of excellence awarded in over ten product categories, arriving from many Italian regions, from Sardinia to Sicily, passing through Calabria, Marche, Molise, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna , Veneto, Lombardy, Puglia, Umbria.
And the wave of success also arrives in the Imola area with the recognition assigned to the Merlotta winery, which boasts over 60 years of activity (in the photo, the owner Fabio Minzolini holds the precious certificate in his hands, ed), of a cellar engaged in valorisation of the territory.
The Gala presented by Donato Ala Giordano and Rosaria Renna of Radio Monte Carlo had moments of pure emotion, when companies of pure excellence took to the stage to collect the much deserved certificate and tell their stories.
The evening was opened by the video of the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida who greeted those present. Guests of the evening, also the Honorable Maria Grazia di Maggio who, with her precise intervention, guaranteed the government's commitment to being close to the needs of all the companies that contribute to the promotion of Italian agri-food. Also on stage was Cristina Lazzati, director of the magazine Mark Up media sponsor of the Food Awards who wanted to testify how much the GDO, represented in the hall by all the Crai management, is changing, getting ever closer to the choice of zero km products to include in its stores. The producers awarded in the various product categories were able to discover during the evening how many possibilities thanks to the award they will have in making their products known to the Horeca sector, represented by Chefs, Restaurants and Buyers. One of these is to use the SPACE managed exclusively by the Italy Food Awards association, inside the Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan, starting next month. In the Wine Cellar del Gallia, show cooking, tastings and meetings will be held with the major Food Players of Lombardy and beyond who will be happy to meet the award-winning companies.
The Italy Food Awards are a promotional platform dedicated to companies of excellence, an original format that has never been tested before. All the info can be found on www.italyfoodawards.com.
The national version has arrived, after the great success of the regional editions in Sardinia, Puglia, Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto Emilia Romagna and from 2023 in all Italian regions.
Since its first edition, the FA have proven to be a new, exciting, democratic event. In the past regional editions between the third and eighth edition, more than 1,200 companies entered the various categories. An acknowledgment awaited by the agri-food industry and which never before has seen these categories all together rewarded, in which the Ministry of Agricultural Policies has believed in the first place, which has been reconfirming its patronage for 4 years. The Italy Food Awards was created to celebrate the commitment and expertise in the Italian agri-food sector, which is currently booming and has strong prospects for development on the foreign market. “Honestly, I never thought that the Food Awards would grow in such a short time and for the first edition alone there were 468 companies registered, of which around 110 were awarded, says Donato Ala Giordano, President and creator of the Italy Food awards. “ the awards evening was a success that exceeded all wildest expectations, beautiful life stories told by the protagonists of the awarded companies, I want to sincerely thank all the presidents of the jury, because without their professionalism it would not have been possible carry out this project and I am honored to have my wonderful collaborators with me, first and foremost my son Matteo who threw themselves into this magnificent adventure with great commitment and dedication.
The agri-food companies that participated in our event did not take long to understand that tourism and food and wine can and must go hand in hand: if the idea may seem valid everywhere, it is precisely the numbers that indicate how significant the assumption is nation. Those who come to Italy do not limit themselves to seaside tourism or to enjoy the beauties of historical and artistic importance, but are impressed and also appreciate its great agricultural and food richness. Italian products have become highly sought after, a symbol even beyond national borders. In short, in recent years it has been demonstrated that the agri-food sector is particularly appreciated by foreign markets: it therefore has enormous potential, still largely unexpressed. How can a small company – which produces an excellent wine – get to the prestigious London restaurant? Can the meeting between a large pasta factory and a distributor be facilitated in a market in which it had not yet arrived? How is it possible to testify that these companies produce authentically Italian products of excellence, and to avoid confusion with other foreign products that are only making Italian sounding and that are proposing fake Italian products? Is it possible to bring producers together – create a network – and try to satisfy the requests for large quantities coming from foreign markets?
It is precisely to answer questions that the Italy Food Awards were born, which are not limited to being a simple event, but a series of concerted activities in support of the regional agri-food sector. First of all, the winning companies can boast the quality seal on their products, which will certainly help in their marketing and promotion activities.
How do you get it?
Once you have registered, which includes only the cost of administrative fees, on the website www.italyfoodawards.com the company is guided and followed in the various steps concerning the sending of products for tastings.
The technical work linked to the judging of the products is completely entrusted to the sectoral Juries, represented by the various Presidents who select the 6 professionals who assist them in the tastings.
The tastings take place ''blind'' a system of guarantee and meritocracy of our Awards.
The various work teams have offices in Milan, Cagliari, Prato, Verona, Bari, Bologna and Turin. The organization is divided into both organizational and technical branches.
The best professionals in the sector are the Presidents of the Jury who choose the best jurors in each category with the sole objective of meritocracy.
Stamp and certificate
A credible, meritocratic and recognized recognition both nationally and internationally thanks also to the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and food sovereignty
An important sales tool to be included on the packaging and in the corporate image to certify the uniqueness of your company through your products.
Here are the winners of the 22/23 edition
CATEGORY OF WINE COMPANIES
WINNER
SARTORI VENETO WINERY
SUSTAINABLE WINERY WINNER
WINERY PATRI' ROCCO SICILY
WINERY WINNER FOR TERRITORY ENHANCEMENT
MERLOTTA WINERY EMILIA ROMAGNA
