At the Cibus Link Hall during TUTTOFOOD, a discussion with retailers, importers and key players in the American market put the spotlight on one of the most promising — and most complex — destinations for Italian food and beverage.
The United States remains one of the most sought-after markets for the Italian food industry. It is large, affluent, receptive to premium products and still deeply drawn to the appeal of Made in Italy. Yet anyone who truly knows the market understands that interest alone is not enough. Between crowded shelves, increasingly selective consumers, retail dynamics that vary from coast to coast and often aggressive competition, entering the U.S. means playing a long, technical game — one that is far less straightforward than it may appear.
This awareness shaped the discussion “Distribution, Consumption and Brands: The Future of Made in Italy in the United States,” held on Tuesday, May 12, at the Cibus Link Hall during TUTTOFOOD, as part of the programme curated by Cibus Link.
The panel brought together leading figures from North American retail, importing and market analysis, including Gary DeLeon of Albertsons, Ari Goldsmith and Justin Teten of KeHE, Andrea Berti of Atalanta, Rick Findlay of IDDBA, Sandy Dahlkamp of Nugget Markets and NIQ. The session was moderated by Letizia Berciotti, Sales Director and Editorial Coordinator at GDONews.
The thread running through the debate was clear: the United States still offers room for Italian products, but it demands a higher level of strategic quality from companies. A well-made product and a tricolour flag on the label are no longer enough. What is needed is a precise reading of the channels, a sustainable commercial proposition, a recognisable brand identity and the ability to build strong relationships with the operators who control access to the market.
The role of importers is central here. Companies such as KeHE and Atalanta are key partners for many Italian businesses looking to enter the U.S. market or strengthen their position there. They are able to turn a product’s potential into a concrete presence in the right channels, selecting assortments, managing logistical complexity and working with retailers whose formats and priorities can differ widely. Their role, however, cannot make up for the absence of a clear strategy on the part of the producer. A product must arrive market-ready: in its positioning, packaging, pricing, service level and supply continuity.
One of the most significant points to emerge from the panel was the gap between reputation and commercial performance. Made in Italy still enjoys powerful symbolic capital in the United States. It evokes quality, tradition, taste and authenticity. On American shelves, however, that value has to compete every day with local brands, private labels, international premium products and a broad grey area of Italian sounding products, which capture part of demand by borrowing the visual and linguistic codes of Italian identity.
The challenge, then, is not simply to sell more. It is to defend value. To explain why an authentic Italian product deserves space, price and attention. To make the difference between genuine origin and commercial suggestion clear. To turn quality into an argument that buyers, retailers and consumers can understand.
The American consumer has changed as well. The search for authenticity remains strong, but it now sits alongside very practical expectations: convenience, format, ingredient transparency, nutritional claims, sustainability, user experience and perceived value. A product may be excellent by Italian standards, but that does not automatically make it intuitive for a U.S. audience. Adaptation should therefore not be seen as a loss of identity, but as a condition for making that identity effective.
The discussion at the Cibus Link Hall also showed how far the U.S. market is from being a single, uniform block. The differences between national retailers, regional chains, specialty stores, club stores, independent operators and foodservice channels require precise choices. Companies that approach the United States with an undifferentiated strategy risk wasting both resources and opportunities. Those that identify the channel most aligned with their product can build stronger and more sustainable growth paths.
What emerges is a more mature reading of Italian food exports. The United States is not simply a destination to reach, but a market to study, manage and interpret. Success depends less and less on the occasional commercial opportunity and more and more on the ability to plan: choosing the right partners, supporting the brand over time, ensuring operational reliability and speaking the language of the American trade without losing one’s own identity.
The presence of retailers, importers and qualified market observers gave the panel a practical edge, far removed from the rhetoric of internationalisation as a generic promise. For Italian companies, the message was clear: in the United States, Made in Italy still has many doors open — but those doors are entered through competence, preparation and continuity.
Within TUTTOFOOD, the Cibus Link Hall once again confirmed its role as a space for dialogue between industry, distribution and international markets. Not merely a place for storytelling, but a platform for reading the transformations of retail and translating them into useful guidance for companies.
The future of Made in Italy in the United States remains promising. But it will depend less and less on the spontaneous strength of Italy’s reputation, and more and more on companies’ ability to build solid strategies, readable products and long-term commercial relationships. Because in the American market, the value of Italy is recognised — but it must be proven, shelf after shelf.
