At a time of mounting tensions in the global coffee market—marked by record-high origin prices and a supply chain striving to shield end consumers from the impact—
July 15 will be a pivotal date for the future of the sector.
For the first time, some of the most authoritative figures in coffee production and italian leading commercial directors from major retail chains will engage in a public discussion on one of the most sensitive issues of the current scenario: how to find a sustainable balance between rising costs, industrial margins, and consumer competitiveness.
A joint initiative for a shared future
The event is promoted by three key players in food retail and agri-food industry information and networking:
- GDO News, a leading B2B media outlet in modern retail,
- Retail Link, a platform for analysis and relationships between industry and retail,
- Cibus Link, an editorial and networking hub focused on major issues in the food industry.
PR Italia Edizioni, publisher of the three outlets and a longstanding reference point in retail communication, together with Fiere di Parma, organizer of Cibus trade international fair and Tuttofood international Fiar, as a strategic partner of the Italian agri-food sector, have joined forces to foster constructive dialogue between two often-divergent worlds, now called to find common ground.
This editorial and institutional alliance is driven by a clear objective: to promote a system-wide solution—shared, not imposed—that can protect producers’ economic sustainability without undermining retail competitiveness or consumer purchasing power.
The meeting will take the form of a high-profile webinar, broadcast live on the official GDO News channel, which boasts over 82,000 subscribers and is one of the most important digital platforms for managers and professionals in the modern retail sector.
The strength of this initiative lies not only in its content, but also in the clear intention to create an open working table that connects the concrete needs of producers—currently squeezed by unsustainable costs—with the commercial logic of major retailers, who are striving to preserve sales volumes and customer loyalty.
The July 15 event is more than just a webinar: it is a political and strategic signal the entire supply chain wants to send to the market.
In a context where price can no longer be the sole metric, what’s needed are smarter collaboration models, more transparent negotiations, and a new alliance between industry and retail.
Andrea Meneghini, CEO of PR Italia Edizioni, explained: “[…] We need a new language for negotiation between industry and retail. A new supply chain pact that acknowledges the natural limits of price containment in a context of structurally higher costs. There are many possible paths forward: first and foremost, segmentation and explanation—clearly distinguishing basic lines from premium and specialty products, and communicating their different nature (and prices) to the consumer. Retail can play its part, for example through clearer shelving, informative QR codes, or initiatives to tell the product’s story.
Both sides should aim for long-term stability, moving away from chasing cents on spot prices and instead building more flexible, long-lasting contracts that allow for greater resilience during international market peaks.”
Striking a balance between competitiveness and sustainability is always difficult—but today it is non-negotiable.
Coffee is no longer a commodity with stable prices. It is now a product subject to complex, global, and structural dynamics. Protecting the consumer is right, but it cannot be done by ignoring the realities of the supply chain.
Otherwise, in the effort to hold prices down, quality may decline, businesses may suffer, and the future of an industry that in Italy is more than just business—but part of our cultural identity—may be put at risk.
