From 26 to 30 November 2024
Events and Tasting Days in Sweden
The tasting days, masterclasses and in-store promotions organised as part of the LoST Eu project from 26 to 30 November attracted a lot of interest and participation from the Swedish public. A whole week of events, held in various cities and locations around the country, provided a unique opportunity to introduce niche Italian products to consumers on the markets of the Nordic countries, where they were completely unknown.
Thanks to the collaboration with numerous Swedish professionals in the sector, who shared the ethical concerns of sustainability and protection of territorial traditions that are inherent in the LoST Eu project, and thanks to the partnership with the Italian Embassy in Sweden, which helped with communication, for a whole week it was possible to shine the spotlight on the production of PDO cheeses from various Italian regions, which were unknown in Sweden.
The promotional and valorisation initiatives for Italian PDO cheeses began on Tuesday 26 November in Stockholm at the Ica Kvantum Vartan shop, where, thanks to the promotional stand located inside the store, Swedish consumers were able to taste the various PDO cheeses in the basket, receiving information on production techniques, territorial origin and historical importance in the various regional production contexts. Over the two days, Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November, at the Ica Store in the capital city, the producers were also able to meet numerous professionals, such as the buyer of Wijnjas Wholesale, a major Swedish food distributor, and shopkeepers who asked for the contacts of the producers participating in the event with a view to doing business with them.
The main event of the foreign mission to Sweden was held on Wednesday 27 November and consisted of a masterclass dedicated to trade professionals (importers, distributors and delicatessen owners) and food journalists from the capital. The day was hosted by the prestigious Wenner-Gren Center, the panoramic tower owned by the Sabis chain, from which it is possible to look down on the entire old town of Stockholm and admire it from above.
A masterclass for Swedish journalists and professionals was held in the conference room on the ground floor at 2.00 p.m., giving producers the opportunity to present the various PDO products in the LoST Eu basket, describing their characteristics and areas of production, thanks to the video supports set up at the venue. The welcome by the Italian Ambassador to Sweden was followed by the very interesting masterclass by Swedish food and wine journalist and member of the Royal Gastronomic Academy, Karsten Thurfjell, who not only stressed the importance of Europe in protecting these small productions and supporting their promotion, but also introduced some producers of small Swedish PDO cheeses on stage, urging producers from the two nations to join forces in their fight to raise European public awareness of the importance of safeguarding artisanal productions, which are the soul of otherwise marginalised territories at risk of depopulation, such as the mountains and high hills.
At the end of the Masterclass, a Walk Around Tasting began in the Tasting Room at the top of the Tower, with tasting stands dedicated to each of the eight PDO products in the LoST Eu basket, where over 100 professionals were able to taste the products and receive information about their characteristics, production techniques and contexts, in the presence of the producers. Numerous representatives of the Swedish business world participated in the event, with a varied audience in the room, ranging from owners of shops like Androuet and VinOliv to importers like Fiordilatte Food and Italianfood Selection, as well as journalists from numerous specialised publications.
At the same time as the masterclass and Walk Around Tasting at the Wenner-Gren Center, the in-store promotions of LoST Eu PDO cheeses continued on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November, with a promotional and educational stand in the Cheese Room of the Sabis Karlaplan store, a veritable boutique of food and wine that has been dictating tastes and trends in quality food and wine to high-spending Swedish consumers for over a decade.
The LoST Eu project also travelled to the south of Sweden where it staged two more promotional days in Malmo, Lund and Lomma, hosted by the chain of shops owned by the Italianissimo group, on 29 and 30 November. Educational and promotional tastings dedicated to Swedish consumers were held there over the two days, with the collaboration of the staff of the shops, who had received specific training in the weeks leading up to the event. It all proved very popular with participants, who were very receptive and enthusiastic due to the scarcity of initiatives of this kind dedicated to quality Italian food and wine, which are usually concentrated in the capital alone, neglecting other important cities on the Swedish economic and commercial scene.
