By Christina Veiders
Savvy American food retailers have come to realize when it comes to selling popular Italian food and beverages designation — “Made in Italy” or “Product of Italy” (instead of “imported from Italy”) — matters. “Authentic Italian”, a concept promoted by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), has become a private label branding image for leading food retailers in recent years.
Grocery chains such as H-E-B’s Central Market, Roundy’s Mariano’s Fresh Market, Wakefern, Wegmans, Topco, as well as others, have come to realize positioning their store brand premium Italian lines as authentic conveys something special for their shoppers who seek quality and taste at a good value price.
Consumers, especially those with an interest in cooking and eating well, have come to appreciate the cachet that comes with products imported from Italy. In turn, retailers have enhanced their image as a global source of quality and unique products to satisfy shoppers’ desire for new flavors and unique foods.
The push for authentic Italian emerged soon after the ITA Chicago Office conducted shopper research in 2009 indicating an opportunity for retailers to drive profits, sales and loyalty through authentic Italian branding and marketing. Retailers began highlighting ingredients and products produced in Italy on their labels to make a distinction between their premium offerings and the generic products with Italian-sounding names.
The study found most surveyed shoppers believe authentic Italian is better than Italian products made in America. Fewer than 1 in 10 shoppers disagreed with that sentiment.
Seventy percent of the 524 shoppers interviewed, said they would pay extra. Two-thirds said they would pay as much as 25% or more for authentic Italian products.
America’s favorite >>
Demand for Italian cuisine has become more popular then ever thanks to inspiration from television cooking shows, books devoted to regional Italian cuisines and celebrity chefs the likes of Mario Batali, Massimo Bottura, Lida Bastianich, Giada de Laurentiis (below right), Giorgio Locatelli, Fabio Viviani (shown center below with Matteo Picariello, Trade Commissioner, ITA Chicago, right and Patrick Capriati, Marketing Promotion Manager, ITA Chicago, left.), to mention a few.
Italian food is considered by many as the No. 1 ethnic food choice in America.
Patrick Capriati, Marketing Promotion Manager, ITA Chicago – Chef Fabio Viviani – Matteo Picariello, Trade Commissioner, ITA Chicago.
Demand for Italian cuisine is expected to be strong, supported by millennials, the 80 million or so generation that is taking over the space vacated by the Baby Boomer generation. They are said to like flavors and choices in cuisine, according to survey results.
In a study, Trouble in Aisle 5, Jefferies Alix Partners asked millennials and baby boomers: What types of cuisine do you and/or your family consume at least weekly? Overwhelmingly, the choice was Italian by 71 percent of millennials and by 69% of baby boomers.
Recognizing American’s love of Italian food and beverages, the ITA has aggressively promoted the authentic concept by supporting in-store Italian-themed events; hosting culinary events in major cities like Houston and Los Angeles: “A Taste of the Authentic Italian Experience,” to raise awareness of the benefits of using authentic Italian ingredients.
The ITA’s Chicago office also conducts trade missions to various Italian regions to facilitate retailers’ and distributors’ relationships with Italian suppliers of private label food and wine.
Passaporto Italia >>
Such efforts have gained the support of top-ranked food retailers. San Antonio-Texas-based HEB’s Central Market Division annually hosts a two-week, in-store event devoted to Italian imports, tastings, cooking demos and appearances by celebrity chefs.
This year, H-E-B’s Central Market hosted its fifth such event themed: “Passaporto Italia,” promoting authentic Italian products, including Liguori di Gragnano Pasta from Naples, Franci olive oil and Barone Ricasoli Brolio from Tuscany, Caffarel Gianduia candies and Mario Fongo Grissini and Flatbreads from the Piedmont region.
The retailer didn’t fail to promote its own Cannolis made with “imported Sicilian sheep’s milk ricotta.” “Our buyers have spent the last 18 months traveling between Italy and Texas discovering the bounty of Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Campania, Sicily and all the places in between,” stated Central Market in a blog post.
Fan favorite top chef Fabio Viviani, Lidia Bastianich and Italian home-cooking author Domenica Marchetti were on hand to conduct cooking classes.
One Central Market in Fort Worth, Texas partnered with a local Fiat dealership to host an Italian Classic car show during the Passaporto Italia event.
Central Market uses authentic to sell its pasta sauces with “Taste of Italy” on its label.
“We search the world to bring the most authentic food experience to your table. We offer the most delicious products discovered on our travels—or we’ll simply bottle it up to create something exclusive to Central Market. Such is the case with our Taste of Italy pasta sauces, which are new to Central Market,” the retailer noted in a blog post.
The store brand sauces are available in six varieties: classic marinara, tangy puttanesca, hearty alla norma, earthy champignon & porcini mushroom, savory vodka and spicy arrabbiata.
Central Market also features Italian sodas under its own label that are “bottled at the source and imported directly from Italy.”
Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, New York, is a frontrunner in importing Italian foods from Italy. Under its Italian Classics line it began importing pastas, canned tomatoes and olive oils from Italy as early as the mid ‘90s. The retailer has since extended its line with Italian Classics Artisan Pasta Sauce, created by Tuscan importer Leo Letti. It’s newest entry is a single serve frozen Tuscan Lasagna, also from Letti, sold in three types — artichoke, zucchine and marinara, retailing for $3.99 each. Wegmans devoted a weekend in September to Mediterranean fresh Italian cuisine. The event featured cooking demos, Parmigiano Reggiano wheel cracking and Mediterranean-style eating with Chef Cesare Casella who celebrated the joys of authentic Italian food and talked about why the Mediterranean diet is a healthy choice.
Roundy’s, Milwaukee, Wis., is another retailer that markets its private label brand of Italian Classics as “an assortment of truly authentic products.” It notes it produces products to genuine Italian standards.
“Made in Italy, our pastas and sauces cook up al dente and offer an authentic, artisan taste,” Roundy’s promotional material states.
Retailers have taken Italian beyond store brand foods into ancillary businesses. For example, Wegmans and Roundy’s Mariano’s Fresh Market in Chicago have built add-on businesses around Italian food with the prospect of integrating the concept throughout their stores.
Wegmans opened Amore Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, an 85-seat establishment adjacent to its East Avenue, Rochester store, in 2013 to celebrate much-loved Italian and Italian- American dishes. A team traveled to Italy and Switzerland for the restaurants’ design inspiration.
Mariano’s opened an in-store cafe, Vero (meaning “true” in Italian), which sells authentic Italian coffee and gelato. The name implies the “true taste of Italy” and the heart-shaped logo symbolizes passion for things Italian. Roundy’s won a Gold Pentaward in the beverage category for the brand in 2011.
“Adventure begins with Vero … an exclusive selection of genuine Italian products that reflect the passion and heritage in Italy’s Old World recipes. Our master gelato makers and coffee roast masters pour their passion into every recipe to create products that showcase the finest Italy has to offer. Treat yourself to a true taste of Italy today. Treat yourself to Vero,” reads promotional copy.
The result of these efforts can be seen in the growth of Italian food and nonfood exhibitors at this year’s annual PLMA Show in Chicago, November 16-18. This year 42 exhibitors from Italy will be in the two official Italian pavilions, up from 25 last year. Exports of “Made in Italy” to the U.S. also were up 6% to $2.9 billion euros in 2013, according to statistics from Coldretti, Italys’ major growers/farmer’s association.
