Good news for Italy from the front of olive groves: after a few years of difficulty, estimates from the International Olive Council and Unaprol for the 2021-2022 olive-oil campaign showed how the Bel Paese is getting back on the second step of the podium, despite a stop in production at around 315,000 tons. In first place there’s Spain, with 1.3 million tons. But there’s another figure standing out, the efforts made by emerging countries to increase their production: Algeria (+39%), Morocco (+35%) or Portugal (+20%). A clear sign that the olive sector is showing great room for growth. Where there is a place for everyone and where Italy can keep being successful by focusing on quality.

All thanks to the prestige of the Mediterranean diet, whose benefits are now universally recognized, and to health trends, that from being mere fads have become stable consumption habits. At TUTTOFOOD 2023, at fieramilano from May 8 to 11, oil will be in the spotlight as well thanks to a dedicated area, TUTTOOIL, where Italian and foreign companies of the industry will meet potential international business partners.

Innovation and tradition are the keys to restart

“The industry has gone through some difficult times”, comments Chiara Coricelli, CEO of Pietro Coricelli, "but as a company we were able to maintain production continuity by glimpsing innovative opportunities among new and complex situations. In particular, we are still investing in digitalization and R&D to carry on with the sustainability path started in 2019. Today consumers are more demanding, more attentive to quality, to the origin of the oil. Great results have been achieved by our 100% Italian Casa Coricelli Oil from our line of Supply Chain Traces, of which is possible to trace the origin, as well as our Organic Casa Coricelli, thanks to the settlement of the Organic segment. Coricelli is at the forefront of the supply chain issue, and we have been the first to propose a supply chain agreement with UNAPROL for economically sustainable purchases in support of the Italian agricultural world. This agreement resulted in the sustainable oil 'Signed by Italian Farmers' that has been on the market since last February”.

“We have just returned from Fancy Food in New York, where we were able to witness once again how prestigious is Made in Italy in this sector”, adds Savino Muraglia, Managing Director of Frantoio Muraglia and President of Coldiretti Puglia. “Not only for the quality of the product, but also for the strong focus on food safety that characterizes our agriculture, with standards of absolute excellence. However, the pandemic has undoubtedly affected the purchasing capacity, pushing some targets towards cheaper products. In addition, the consumer, especially abroad, doesn’t always have the skills to distinguish a truly Italian oil from one that is simply bottled in Italy. We believe that for a future development of the sector, it’s essential to educate the consumer and for this reason we moved our oil mill back to its former location on a farm outside the city where we are starting an olive-oil tourism project”.

Perspectives that will be examined in depth at TUTTOFOOD 2023 by exploring the opportunities for Italian producers as well as the new spaces opening up for foreign producers.