Buyers are becoming more discerning – a simple “Made in Italy” tag no longer has the pull it once did. A patriotic claim by itself isn’t enough. People today are looking for concrete details about where a product comes from and what makes it special.

The Italian-inspired section of the grocery market is massive – nearly 28,000 items tied to an Italian identity brought in about €11.6 billion in 2024. Sales value grew slightly (+1.2%) but overall units sold dipped (–0.7%). Even discounts and promotions couldn’t fully counter that slowdown.