Many have tried to produce Italian occasion confectionery and bakery abroad; sometimes even using vegetable fat instead of butter. Yet it is difficult to produce a typical Italian product that meets the appropriate quality levels abroad. It’s thumbs up, therefore, for the export sector, currently only at 11% of national production, as the combination of celebration and occasion confectionery remains a typically Italian consumption pattern.

“The tradition of buying such products during the Christmas season is significant, especially in those countries where Italian community is extensive” explains Mario Piccialuti, Director of Aidepi, the Italian Association of Confectionery and Pasta Industries “such as the United States, Canada and Australia. We also have an established flow of products towards Latin America, in particular, Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela, where we are partially affected by the competition from a local producer”.