PRESS RELEASE
Comunicato n. 9 del 22/12/2025 ( download download )
sigep.it
Rimini, 22 December 2025 – SIGEP World – The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, curated by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), will return to Rimini Expo Centre from Friday 16 to Tuesday 20 January 2026, showcasing the best of its six sectors: gelato, confectionery, chocolate, bakery, pizza and coffee. These supply chains, according to key industry association data, are worth over €40 billion in total – encompassing domestic consumption, exports, and related activities – confirming their strategic importance to the national economy.
ARTISAN GELATO: TURNOVER EXCEEDS 3.1 BILLION
The artisan gelato market closed 2025 with an overall sales growth of 8.5%, reaching 16.5 billion euros worldwide. In Europe, the trend remains positive, with the United Kingdom and Spain among the most dynamic countries, while Italy consolidates its leadership, confirming itself as the world's leading market with a turnover of 3.1 billion euros (+3.5% compared to 2024 including ancillary products). In the same period, volumes grew by 0.5%, while the average price increased by 3%.
Ice cream shops with a strong tourist focus benefit significantly from the flow of foreign visitors, with particular emphasis on Central and Southern Italy. Per capita consumption remains constant at around 2 kilos per year, with an average expenditure of 48 euros per person. The total number of ice cream shops, pastry shops, bars and restaurants offering artisan ice cream exceeds 39,000 units, remaining stable compared to recent years. Overall, the Italian artisanal gelato supply chain reaches an estimated value of 4.9 billion euros, further strengthening its position of excellence and leadership at an international level.
At a European level, the value of the traditional Italian artisan gelato market reaches 11.7 billion euros, with a growth of 7% compared to 2024. Sales in volume in Europe increased by 3%, while average prices were up 4%. The number of outlets – ice cream shops, bars, patisseries and restaurants offering artisan gelato – grew by 2% in the last year to more than 66,000, involving around 300,000 employees. This trend reflects the increase in demand and renewed consumer interest in artisan gelato. Finally, outside Europe, the artisan gelato market reaches an estimated value of 4.8 billion euros with a growth of 10% on an annual basis; there are more than 45,000 points of sale with a growth of 8% while the average turnover increases by 2%, highlighting a dynamic of development.
As far as the artisan gelato supply chain is concerned, in 2025 the Italian industry of ingredients and semi-finished products for gelato recorded significant growth with an increase in turnover of 8% and a total value of 1.18 billion euros. The sector confirms a marked international vocation with an export share of 67%, reflecting the strong appreciation of Italian products on foreign markets. The update of the data on purchases of agri-food products shows an increase in overall volumes in 2025. In particular, the quantities purchased are at significant levels: about 242,000 tonnes of milk, 71,400 tonnes of sugar, 55,900 tonnes of fresh and dried fruit, about 1,700 tonnes of pistachios – with the Bronte pistachio in a leading position in terms of value and recognition – and about 2,000 tonnes of hazelnuts. In 2025, the ice cream machinery, display cases and equipment sector confirms a positive trend, recording a growth of 4% compared to the previous year and reaching a total value of 697 million euros, up from 670 million euros in 2024. The sector's performance is largely supported by international demand, with exports accounting for around 70% of total turnover. In particular, the Asian and South American markets continue to show a favourable trend, driven both by the opening of new ice cream shops and by the progressive technological upgrading of existing operators. Added to this is a sales mix oriented towards machines of greater size, unit value and technological content, which contributes to increasing the average turnover per plant.
(Sources: ACOMAG, CBRE, CNR-ISAC, Confartigianato, Confesercenti, Demoskopea, Eurostat, Federturismo, FIPE-Confcommercio, ISTAT, Unione Italiana Food)
PASTRY & CHOCOLATE: RECURRING SWEETS, GROWING PREMIUM SEGMENT AND RECOVERING CHOCOLATE MARKET
In the artisanal pastry sector, according to Confartigianato, in 2024 there were more than 54,000 companies active in Italy, of which 38,000 were artisanal (about 71%). For Easter-related seasonal desserts, an estimated 37,000 businesses will be involved in 2025, with a difficulty in finding skilled labour reaching 58.7% of the planned recruitment for pastry chefs, ice cream makers and artisan bakers. The SIGEP Christmas 2025 Observatory, based on Circana's calculations, reveals an increase in the consumption of desserts outside the home in the five main European countries, with 3.2 billion servings (+6% compared to 2024). In Italy, growth stands at +2.3%, confirming the central role of desserts in catering. Panettone – in its classic and premium versions – is confirmed as the leading product of the holidays: some pastry chefs interviewed in the SIGEP Christmas Observatory have highlighted an expansion in demand also abroad, with increases in 2025 estimated at around +28% in Paris, +40% in New York and +80% in Hong Kong. On the domestic market, Confartigianato reports a growth in turnover of between +4% and +5% for 2024, while Codacons records an average increase of +4% in the prices of industrial panettone and pandoro compared to 2023; premium artisanal versions range between 30 and 35 euros/kg.
The supply chain also includes the chocolate sector, which in Italy has an estimated market value of between 2.4 and 2.6 billion euros. Despite the sharp increase in international cocoa prices – which rose by more than 80% between 2023 and 2024, reaching the highest value in the last forty years in 2025 – the artisanal and premium segment shows stable growth (+5–6% in 2024 according to IRI). Italy exports about 420 million euros of cocoa and chocolate products (+4% compared to 2024), with France, Germany, the USA and the United Kingdom as the main destination markets.
(Sources: Confartigianato, Codacons, Circana, ICCO, Unionfood, IRI)
BREAD: 13.4 BILLION IN TURNOVER AND MORE SELECTIVE CONSUMPTION
In 2024, the annual per capita consumption of bread in Italy was about 41 kg, a slight increase (+1.6%) compared to 2023, but still below the European average of 70 kg, with peaks of around 80 kg in countries such as Germany and Austria. The total turnover of the bakery sector – which includes bread, pizzas and similar products – is estimated at 13.4 billion euros, of which about 8.4 billion is attributable to bread alone.
In Italy, there are more than 46,800 bakery companies, 98.1% of which are artisan. 76% of companies carry out both production and direct sales, while the remaining share focuses on resale only. Artisan companies generate about 33% of the total turnover, while the remainder is attributable to industrial bakeries and large organised players.
According to Italmopa's calculations, in 2025 Italians will spend a total of around 12.5 billion euros a year on bread, with an availability of over 200 types of products offered by artisan bakeries and large-scale retailers.
Current trends confirm a progressive reduction in volumes compared to past decades (in the 1970s, it exceeded 100 kg per capita per year), against a growing demand for products with greater added value: breads with local flours, ancient grains, wholemeal or semi-wholemeal products, "free from" products (gluten-free, lactose-free, etc.), breads with low glycaemic content and leavened with long fermentation.
(Sources: Confartigianato Alimentare / Assopanificatori Confesercenti / AIBI / Italmopa)
PIZZA: 2.7 BILLION PIECES PER YEAR AND OVER 15 BILLION IN TURNOVER
Pizza continues to be one of the symbolic dishes of Italian foodservice. According to calculations based on data from CNA Agroalimentare and Coldiretti, around 2.7 billion pizzas are produced in Italy every year, requiring over 200 million kg of flour, 225 million kg of mozzarella, 30 million kg of olive oil and 260 million kg of tomato sauce.
In 2024, there were 88,793 pizzerias active in Italy, an increase of almost 25% compared to the previous year, for a total turnover of more than 15 billion euros. Per capita consumption is close to 8 kg per year, with an average frequency of at least one pizza per week for most of the population.
From the point of view of demand, the main peaks are concentrated on weekends, in particular on Saturday evenings, while on the supply side, alongside traditional pizza, the presence of pinsa is strengthened, especially in domestic consumption: estimates for 2024 indicate an increase in purchases of around +7% compared to 2023.
The frozen pizza segment is also growing: in 2024, consumption increased by about +3.7%, reaching 66,000 tonnes, with the retail channel showing sales up +5.8% in volume and +4.7% in value, for an estimated turnover of about 570 million euros.
As far as prices are concerned, the average cost of a meal in a pizzeria (pizza, drink, cover charge and service) in 2024 is up by about +4% compared to 2023 and +16% compared to 2021, with strong regional differences between the main Italian cities and the areas with the greatest tourist vocation.
(Sources: CNA Agroalimentare / Coldiretti / Ministry of Business – Movimprese / IIAS / FIPE-Confcommercio)
COFFEE: ALMOST 6 BILLION IN TURNOVER AND EXPORTS ARE RECOVERING
After the years affected by the pandemic and the volatility of international markets, 2024 marked a phase of consolidation for the coffee sector. According to the calculations of the Consorzio Promozione Caffè and UCIMAC, Italian production in 2024 reached 431,000 tonnes, with stable volumes (+0.6%) and an increase in production value of 8.5%, equal to about 4.36 billion euros. There are about 1,000 companies operating in the roasting sector throughout the country, with an estimated direct employment of about 7,000 people and a total turnover that in 2024 reached about 5.7 billion euros, of which 2.6 billion from exports and 3.1 billion from domestic sales.
Coffee imports in 2024 increased by 1.6% in volume, reaching about 703.5 million kg, for a value of around 2.6 billion euros. Italy is the third largest importer of green coffee in the world (after the United States and Germany) and the largest producer of roasted coffee in Europe, ahead of Germany and other EU countries.
Roasted coffee is consistently one of Italy's main agri-food products in terms of export value: in 2023, exports reached approximately 2.26 billion euros (+6.8% compared to 2022), equal to approximately 3.5% of national agri-food exports, with volumes exceeding 285,000 tonnes. Estimates for 2024 indicate exports of roasted coffee exceeding 296,000 tonnes, for a value close to 2.2 billion euros, with about 38% of production destined for foreign markets.
The professional coffee machine sector, one of Italy's industrial excellences, also remains dynamic: in 2023, the sector's turnover exceeded €550 million, up by about +1% compared to 2022, with an export share of more than 70% of the total turnover.
(Sources: Consorzio Promozione Caffè / UCIMAC / ISMEA (on Eurostat) / Comitato Italiano Caffè / ANIMA)
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT AND MACHINES: ITALY FOURTH LARGEST PRODUCER IN THE WORLD
In 2024, the global demand for professional kitchen equipment exceeded EUR 100 billion, up 8% from 2023. The market has quadrupled in less than twenty years, from just over 25 billion in 2005 to current levels. Global production is concentrated in four countries, which account for about 50% of the total: China, Germany, the United States and Italy.
Italy is confirmed as the fourth largest producer in the world, with a high-profile positioning linked to gastronomic tradition, technology and innovation, reinforced by the recent UNESCO recognition of Italian Cuisine. In Europe, the Studia.BO analysis of more than 350 companies shows an average profitability (ROE) of 13.5% and an ROI of 14.3%. Italian producers show performance in line with the European average, with the best EBITDA in the sector (11.6%), while remaining slightly below German levels.
On the product front, the offer of multifunctional equipment is growing, with ovens and blast chillers as driving segments and new applications in vacuum, dynamic preparation and pressure braziers. The issues of air treatment and air conditioning, linked to energy and efficiency of the microclimate in the kitchen, are also central. Artificial intelligence is taking on an increasing role in the management of catering processes, from customers to operational organisation. Technological evolution will lead to a redesign of skills, making training a strategic factor for the sector.
(Source: EFCEM, Italian Association of Manufacturers of Professional Equipment for Professional Catering and Washing)
ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP PRESS CONTACTS | media@iegexpo.it
head of corporate communication & media relation: Elisabetta Vitali| press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini | international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi | press office coordinator: Luca Paganin | press office specialist: Nicoletta Evangelisti, Mirko Malgieri
MEDIA AGENCY SIGEP World: Mind The Pop
Martina Vacca: martina@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 339 748 5994; Fabrizio Raimondi: fabrizio@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 335 389 848; Benedetto Colli: benedetto@mindthepop.it, mob. 380 371 2272; Stefano Chiossi: stefano@mindthepop.it, mob. + 39 388 739 4358.
This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, doe not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.