Genoa, 7 PDO nights at the Mercato Ortofrutticolo

On the one hand, wholesalers and retailers who supply fruit and vegetables all over Liguria, other Italian regions and even Provence. On the other, members of the PDO Riviera Ligure EVO Consortium, the PDO Basilico Genovese Consortium, and the members of the Enoteca Regionale Ligure.

They will meet overnight, for 7 nights, at the Genoa Fruit and Vegetable general Market. The aim: to evaluate, during B2B meetings, the possibility of selling products together through the same distribution channel.

For seven Wednesdays, Genoa’s Centro Agroalimentare – where goods from all over the world transit every night – will host the “Assaggia la Liguria” stand and a number of EVO, wine and basil producers. The latter, an already well-established presence within the market, will support the coordinated effort to promote Ligurian PDOs.

“PDO economy is here to stay. The synthesis of the work of operators, protection consortia, institutions, local communities, with a strong impact (more than economy) on the whole territory – explain the president of the PDO Riviera Ligure EVO Consortium, Carlo Siffredi; the president of the PDO Basilico Genovese Consortium, Mario Anfossi; the president of the Enoteca Regionale, Marco Rezzano -. Our supply chains act as strongholds and defence of entire communities. There are so many inland areas and centres under the threat of depopulation: that thanks to PDOs the fit conditions for young people and families to stay (or return) are developing. In Liguria, basil, oil and wine prove to be the best evidence.

The moment has come to establish new synergies with the other protagonists of the Ligurian agro-food scene. The Genoa Fruit and Vegetable General Market represents the ideal platform”.

“This Market has always been the place where agricultural products are collected and distributed; it guarantees traceability, quality and freshness for the entire supply chain and consumers,” emphasises Giovanni Vassallo, Chairman of the Società Gestione Mercato. Moreover, we have always been the logistics centre for Ligurian agricultural products. PDO basil has always been present at the Market: the collaboration with Ligurian EVO and wine producers, represented by their Consortia, represents a further evolution of the market’s functions, as well as, in perspective, a step towards an integrated Ligurian agro-food system.

 

The project we are launching,” says Alessandro Piana, Vice-President and Regional Councillor for Agriculture and Territorial Marketing, “showcases the joint effort of Genoa’s Mercato Ortofrutticolo and the players in the agro-food chain associated with the PDO Riviera Ligure EVO Consortium, the PDO Basilico Genovese Consortium, and the Enoteca Regionale Ligure. The goal is twofold: to redesign the organisational and commercial strategies of top-quality standard products and to enhance the daily work of wholesalers and retailers, who bring our excellence to the table. The support of Regione Liguria targets the safeguard of Made in Italy and the development of further relations between agricultural entrepreneurs and distribution systems: PDO basil (already marketed), as well as EVO and wine. The immense heritage of Liguria’s rural tradition needs increasing connectivity and a continuous exchange of cross-generational know-hows”.

The initiative, promoted by the Società di Gestione, is an example of how to promote local products, which we strongly support,” said Paola Bordilli, City Councillor for Commerce. The identification of our products with their territory of origin is a plus in terms of marketing and has an impact on the promotion of the area, too”.

The Chamber of Commerce of Genoa believes that the quality and variety of our certified products can and should be known and appreciated outside Liguria, too,” confirms Paolo Corsiglia, delegate for agriculture of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce Council. That is why we immediately and enthusiastically embraced the “night at the market” project, an innovative formula that brings together the excellence of local products with domestic demand and demand from Provence (which is close not only geographically, but also in terms of tastes and consumer behaviour). As for innovation in promotion, the presence of our Genova Liguria Gourmet restaurateurs, the stars of Ligurian cuisine, is no coincidence: in fact, they focus on the origin of ingredients to create new and sophisticated menus”.