Iniziativa eco-responsabile e CSR

🌾 At Vinitaly, a successful conference on agrivoltaics in viticulture highlighted the potential of combining agriculture and photovoltaics. Moderated by Davide Gangi, the event featured experts including Donato Pentassuglia and Professor Maurizio Boselli, who pioneered agrivoltaic research since 2009 in Valpolicella. Boselli's work, internationally recognized, showed slower grape maturation and improved sugar-acid balance due to panel shading. Pasquale Venerito noted distinctive characteristics in agrivoltaically-grown grapes, such as lower pH and complex aromatics. Franco Dell’Acqua discussed agrivoltaics' benefits for Puglia's agriculture, including water savings. Nicola Mele, co-founder of Vigna Agrivoltaica di Comunità, aims to produce eco-friendly wine and energy. The 12-hectare project will produce 5,000-20,000 bottles by 2025, involving universities and research centers.

🏢 During the Milano Design Week 2025 (April 9-13), B&B HOTELS collaborated with IED Milano to host “EN PLAIN AIR – IED X B&B HOTELS” at B&B HOTEL Milano City Center Duomo. The exhibition showcased three creative visions from the Master in Interior Design students, focusing on reimagined outdoor hospitality embodying warmth, connection, and sustainability. The hotel terrace featured designs aiming to enhance guest experience and urban environment harmony. B&B HOTELS, with 850 properties globally and 79 in Italy, continues to innovate and support young talents. The event is free to visit until April 13 at Via San Tomaso 4, offering a glimpse into the future of creative and sustainable hospitality.

☕ Evoca Group's professional coffee machine, Wittenborg W100, has won the Red Dot Design Award in the Product category, marking its third consecutive design award following the European Product Design Award and the iF Design Award. The Red Dot Design Award, established in 1955, is an authoritative international design accolade. The W100 machine is recognized for sustainability, high-quality materials, advanced technology, and reducing downtime by up to 20%. It features cloud services integration, real-time maintenance monitoring, drink customization, an intuitive user interface, and energy efficiency with a class A++ rating.

🍕 Molino Naldoni, an Italian mill, gains recognition as partner pizzaioli dominate international competitions in Q1 2025, led by Maestro Luciano Sorbillo. Salvatore Ammirati wins Padellino category at Pizza World Competition Expocook and Tre Pennelli d'Oro at Festival Artisti del Gusto – Arcimboldo d'Oro. Carlo Ammirata impresses at "Navigando con Gusto 2025" on MSC Fantasia, combining cruises with high-quality Mediterranean cuisine. Eterea flour, with W320 strength index, drives success combining traditional milling and technological innovation. The growth strategy includes a spring tour starting in Las Vegas, then Tuttofood Milan (5-8 May), The Saudi Food Show Riyadh (12-14 May), and PLMA Amsterdam, highlighting Farinaria, a sustainable project focusing on Italian grains without enzymes or chemical additives.

🍸 Miley Kendrick, a 24-year-old bartender from Leeds, won the "Vero Bartender Global 2025" in Bologna, hosted at DumBO. Her sustainable cocktail, "Through the Wormhole," included Amaro Montenegro, dry sherry infused with edible insects, over-proof gin, walnut bitters, and worm salt saline. The competition's "2165. Shaping the Future" theme commemorated Amaro Montenegro's 140th anniversary, challenging bartenders to envision mixology in 2165. Miley earns an immersive experience in Barcelona at the world's third-ranked bar, "Sips & Esencia," for her victory.

🍴 The Food Waste Index Report 2024 states that in 2022, 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste were generated globally, averaging 132 kg per person, with 28% due to catering services. Food for Good in Italy has recovered over 100,000 portions of unused food since 2015. PlanEat, launched in 2020, offers a meal planning platform with an advanced booking system. At "Fa’ la Cosa Giusta," PlanEat served 1143 pre-booked meals in three days, avoiding 46 kg of food waste, 116 kg of CO₂, 26,667 liters of water, 502 m² of farmland use, and 37 kg of plastic. Similarly, PlanEat was chosen for the EcoHackathon on April 8-9, involving 146 participants. PlanEat's solutions aim for responsible and sustainable food consumption using reusable containers.

🍪 Germinal Bio, a Veneto-based company specializing in organic bakery products, is revamping packaging and launching a new yeast-free product. Elena Arpegaro, Marketing Manager, highlights the increasing Italian consumer interest in organic and free-from products. GS1 Italy reports a +4.5% sales growth in yeast-free products (June 2023 - June 2024). The brand's commitment to sustainability is also shown by switching from plastic to paper packaging, and the latest addition to their range is the "Grissini," boasting simple ingredients and 100% Italian wheat flour.

💰 The Italian collective catering sector surpassed pre-pandemic revenue levels with €4.4 billion but faced a 69% decrease in operating results compared to 2018. The sector includes 1000 companies with 100,000 employees (80% women), providing 780 million meals annually at an average price of €5.7 (€5.3 for school catering). Operating margins reduced from a 6% EBITDA margin in 2018 to 3% in 2023 due to increased food costs (+19% since 2018), energy costs (+37% coal, +36% natural gas, +28% oil), and complex regulations involving 5 different ministries. The sector calls for regulatory reform to address socioeconomic changes and maintain service quality and economic sustainability.

🛒 Despar Italia, after closing 2024, reports a 2.6% increase in turnover to €4.5 billion compared to 2023. The growth was driven by 64% of sales from direct stores and 36% from affiliated shops. In 2024, Despar expanded its network by 110 interventions, including 75 new openings and 35 restylings, reaching 1,323 points of sale. Eurospar stores saw a 4.4% increase, outperforming other formats. Affiliated entrepreneurs contributed €1.6 billion, 35.6% of the total turnover, with 62 new affiliated stores opened. Despar's own-brand products exceeded €1 billion in revenue, a 23.9% market share, up by 1.2 percentage points, with over 200 new products launched and more than 300 restylings. The company also continued its commitment to sustainability, planting 1,600 new trees and involving over 6,936 schools in educational initiatives.

🍷 Italian independent vintners, primarily family-run, medium-small businesses, focus on quality wine production and rural Italian landscape preservation, as outlined in 2024 by Nomisma – Wine Monitor and FIVI's study. Concerns regarding profitability and rising costs emerged from the research, prompting a focus on economic sustainability, and factors influencing revenue. A better sales trend was noted for businesses with higher direct-to-consumer and Horeca sales, as well as for those engaging in enotourism and marketing efforts. Export, particularly to the U.S., is a significant revenue driver, with 45% of companies reporting sustained or moderate revenue growth having a high export percentage. Over 70% of FIVI’s 1,800 members export, and 23% plan to do so. Rita Babini, FIVI president, calls for more accessible European promotional funds for small-medium businesses and support for enotourism. FIVI, established in 2008, has over 1,700 associated producers, covering over 17,000 hectares of vineyards.