Innovazione

🎁 In the face of economic uncertainty, Italian families are spending 7.9% more with a 0.4% reduction in purchase volume from 2023. The Christmas season could boost retail and restaurant sectors despite the 44% of families experiencing reduced purchasing power between June and September 2024. Andrea Paparella of foodtech company Tuidi suggests retailers prepare for the holiday by anticipating needs to minimize inefficiencies. Consumption spikes are seen in traditional products: dates (+600%), pandoro and panettone (+189% during the Christmas week), ready meals (up 93% in the North, down 67% in the South), Coca-Cola (+40%), and digestives (+28%). Promotions are 36% less effective on Coca-Cola during Christmas than other times. Tuidi's AI tool Delphi has helped over 300 stores in Italy reduce excess inventory by 6% for alcohol and 16% for Christmas products, aiding in precise planning and optimal stock management.

🍎 Jolly Colombani, an iconic Italian brand founded in 1924 by Giulio Colombani, celebrated its centennial at Ferrara's Castello Estense. Now part of Conserve Italia, which acquired it in 1994, the brand has iconic products like Uvadòr marmalade and Minestrone Lampo. With a current annual turnover of €24 million, representing a 112% increase over five years and a 70% market share in Foodservice, Jolly Colombani is a testament to Italian agri-food excellence. Conserve Italia, its parent company, has a consolidated turnover of €1.2 billion for 2023-24 and employs about 3,000 people.

🍝 Hybrid products, combining meat and plant-based materials, aim to reduce meat consumption for environmental and health reasons. A 50% meat product can halve greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption while maintaining flavor and texture – offering a sustainable and healthier alternative. A 2022 study in Food Quality and Preference journal revealed a preference for burgers with a 60% meat and 40% vegetable blend over traditional meat burgers. Modern cooking systems like RATIONAL's iCombi Pro and iVario Pro ensure the perfect preparation of hybrid burgers, with digital kitchen management allowing for easy recipe sharing across devices.

🍸 Sottosopra in Trastevere, Rome, pioneers the Aperitea, a fusion of Italian aperitivo and English afternoon tea, available daily from 16:00 to 19:00. A selection of nine tea varieties is explained by staff, paired with eleven sweet and savory delicacies like mini club sandwiches and Valrhona chocolate, priced at 25 euros per person or 48 euros for two. Bookings are recommended for groups over four. Contact: Via di Ponte Sisto 64, Rome, Tel. 06 5894554; Chef Raffaele Crispino leads the kitchen since its opening in September 2023.

🌱 Bonduelle Food Service unveils Contorno Rustico Minute®, a new addition to its Minute® side dishes range. The Contorno Rustico is a mix of green beans, potatoes, carrots, and onions, preserved with IQF technology within 24 hours of harvest. The product offers practicality and high quality by preventing water release and weight loss during cooking. Available in 4-bag packages, each weighing 2.5 kg, Contorno Rustico Minute® joins four other unique products in the range, catering to professional restaurants.

☕ Rhea Vendors Group opens a subsidiary, Rheavendors Turkey, in Istanbul to strengthen its international expansion, now present in 10 countries. The subsidiary aims to enhance customer experience with tailor-made services, leveraging over 60 years of industry experience. Attila Laslo, with significant coffee sector expertise, leads as General Manager. The Turkish branch includes a showroom demonstrating Rhea's commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability, while respecting Turkey's historic coffee culture.

🍪 In Italy, people annually consume an average of 4 kg of gelato and 3 kg of chocolate per person. GROM and Amedei have created a menu to explore gelato and chocolate pairings. Recommended combinations include pistachio gelato with 70% dark chocolate, cream gelato with dark chocolate pralines and dry fruit, salted caramel gelato with milk chocolate and hazelnuts, fiordilatte gelato with creamy milk chocolate praline, and lemon gelato with fruity dark chocolate from Madagascar.

🍻 Edoardo Freddi launched Drink on Mars, a new company for emerging beverages and a spin-off of Edoardo Freddi International (EFI). In 2023, the non-alcoholic beverage market grew by 4.9%, with projections to reach $1.134 trillion by 2027. The U.S., China, and Europe, where interest in ready-to-drink products increased by 7% in the last year, are among the top-performing markets. By 2025, at least 5 new companies will join Drink on Mars' portfolio. FreedL Group, founded by Freddi in 2018, operates in over 100 countries.

📈 Travelport's study shows that Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the travel sector now handles over 10,000 identifiable options, a significant increase from 500 options 15 years ago. Sandro Gargiulo of Travelport emphasized AI’s role in simplifying data to improve service response times, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Demographic studies fine-tune personalization, as noted by Gabriella Galantis of Lufthansa Group, who highlighted AI's utility in adjusting flight routes to avoid turbulence and assisting in luggage scanning operations based on the number of passengers and available space.

🏨 Travelport's study highlights the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the travel sector, now managing over 10,000 identifiable options, up from about 500 just 15 years ago. Sandro Gargiulo, Travelport's director for Southern & Western Europe, notes that AI personalizes choices, simplifying data and enhancing customer satisfaction. Gabriella Galantis from Lufthansa Group emphasized the need for demographic studies and mentioned AI's utility in flight for turbulence avoidance and baggage scanning adjustments.