Tony Loeb

🍽 On March 23-24, 2025, the 3rd edition of GD Show will be held at Real Collegio di Lucca, celebrating 60 years of G&D Food and Beverage. The event, sponsored by the Municipality of Lucca, features over 80 companies, 150 operators, international speakers, and is exclusive to industry professionals. The 2024 edition attracted over 2,000 visitors, with expectations for greater success at GD Show 2025. Key focuses include mixology, wine, gastronomic specialties of Lucca, and an expanded beer sector with expert Stefan Grauvogl hosting masterclasses.

🎉 KINDER® collaborates with the Fondazione del Carnevale di Viareggio for the seventh year, having started in 2019, aligning on innovation, creativity, and fun for families. The Carnevale di Viareggio, over 150 years old and one of the most significant in Italy and globally, attracts over 500,000 spectators annually. In 2025, festivities include six Grandi Corsi Mascherati on February 8, 16, 22, 27 (Giovedì Grasso), March 2, and 4 (Martedì Grasso). An interactive KINDER® stand will offer the traditional pentolaccia game, entertainment, and sweet prizes on Viareggio’s promenade.

🌿 Food Truck Unconventional, offering 100% vegetable alternative meat, launched on January 24 in Verona, Italy, by a team of young Italian researchers. The tour will hit major fairs in Bologna, Verona, Milan, and Rimini, along with street food festivals and concerts. In 2024, fairs in Italy saw over 18 million visitors, a 6.3% increase from the previous year. Upcoming tour dates include Bologna's SANA Food from February 23-25 and Modena's Verdi Passioni on March 1-2. The Unconventional line, led by Granarolo Group, became market leader in Italy's meat alternative segment, with a 58% market share and 19.4% growth, reaching a total value of €204 million, a 20% increase. The product line targets flexitarians, offering items like the Unconventional Burger, which won "world's best vegan burger" for the third year, Salsiccia Vegetale, Cotoletta, and Nuggets. Follow the tour at https://unconventionaltaste.com/follow-us. Globally, 20% of people don't eat meat, and 25% identify as flexitarians, showing a shift towards plant-based diets.

🍷 Vinitaly 2025, set for April 6-9 in Verona, will introduce No-Low alcohol (NoLo) wines in its 57th edition. A significant step in the fair's development, announced during a masterclass in Jeddah, aims to enrich Vinitaly's offerings and promote Italian wine. The 'dealcoholized' program includes market expectations (April 8) and production innovation (April 9) sessions. A dedicated Enoteca and a Mixology pavilion will feature NoLo wines. Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo and General Director Adolfo Rebughini are leading the initiative.