Do You Eat Italian?

The food sector is a veritable asset of the Italian economy: it had sales for €127 billion in 2011 (a +2.4% growth with respect to 2010), and is the country's second largest manufacturing industry. Only Germany and France can boast larger food sectors.
Due to its growth in times of recession, many have come to believe that this is an industry that can help Italy weather the crisis. However, while the growth of many small and medium firms has been driven by the domestic market, it is by exporting toward foreign markets that the industry can further develop. Today food and beverage exports go mainly to Germany (18%), France (13%), United States (11%) and Great Britain (10%). In terms of merchandise, wine (20%) dominates, followed by canned vegetables and fruit juices (13.4%) and sweets (12.3%). Thus, both in terms of export markets and product types, the internationalization of the Italian food industry is still limited. With the sole major exception of the US, Italian foods are only exported toward EU countries, which means that target markets that have incredible economic potential, such as emerging economies, are yet to tapped.
But the success of Italian food firms in countries that are being coveted my most export economies requires an accurate knowledge of the market, adapting the product system to the habits and culture of the country you're exporting to, and nurturing relations with trade and consumer customers. More than for other types of goods, food choices depend on social, cultural, and religious factors. Entering markets that are extremely different from your domestic market requires a strategic effort to attain new positioning aligned with a different competitive environment, by innovating business models and processes.
This is the reason why the Italian food industry is undergoing a phase of deep change. Growth opportunities are in far away countries, and the ability to deal with these new markets lies in addressing consumer demand, rather than exclusively relying on the traditionally excellent quality of the product supplied. Also, one should not overlook the fact that the main actors of the global food and beverage industry have already been moving strategically (for instance, Bordeaux wine producers have been particularly entrepreneurial in China). Italy could lose precious development opportunities, if it does not move accordingly. The food industry is already one of the country's main sectors, but attaining international leadership is something altogether different