Salone del Gusto

We brought some 60 producers to the world's leading forum for quality regional food.

The issue

Helping smaller producers access international markets has its own particular challenges and FFB identified Salone del Gusto – the world’s leading forum for quality regional foods – as the perfect platform to showcase Britain’s quality regional food offering, and to develop trade and consumer contacts that could open up international opportunities.

Salone is held every other year at the Lingotto Fiere Centre in Turin, Italy and provides a global ‘market stall’ for top-quality artisan food products. It attracts top importers, worldwide journalists and almost 150,000 consumers.

What we did

Building on the success of the 2002 Salone, FFB and its partners Slow Food UK, Scottish Development International (SDI), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) organised the second largest national pavilion in 2004 with some 60 producers exhibiting from all over the UK.

Our main role was to present the UK as a country with a wide range of regional and traditional high quality gastronomic specialities. With its extensive trade contacts and knowledge of the market, FFB Italy was able to help British exhibitors meet appropriate importers and distributors; and by providing Italian-speaking staff we ensured that exhibitors could communicate directly with the huge numbers of consumers.

As a result, consumers, retailers and distributors proved so enthusiastic that many of the British exhibitors ran out of products before the end of the show. These included traditional British cheeses (Cheddar, Stilton, Cheshire), genuine regional Real Ales, jams and preserves, pork (including English breakfast bacon) and lamb and beef from native breeds. The visit of HRH The Prince of Wales resulted in widespread press and TV coverage and served as a focus for the impressive size of the British presence at the fair.

FFB’s efforts have resulted in very positive feedback from British exhibitors, with particular mention of the number of new trade contacts made. Post show, FFB Italy helped producers to evaluate and prioritise these contacts and set up meetings between the exhibitors and Italian distributors and retailers.

Salone del Gusto has helped to educate international consumers and buyers of the quality of Britain’s regional food and drink helping to improve perceptions and assist smaller producers to understand and capitalise upon international opportunities.