“Exporting Beauty” Importance of Made In Italy Products

On January 27, 2020, the first international edition of the Italian Export Forum took place in New York. An event called “Italy: Exporting Beauty” discussing the importance of Italian businesses in the United States.

The panelists included many important people such as President of Gruppo Italiano, Managing director of global investment firm KKR, CEO of Colavita USA, President of John Cabot University in Rome, President of the region of Sicily, and a few others.

Lorenzo Zurino, founder and CEO of The ONE Company, wants to establish a “home” for various actors involved in exporting and promoting Made in Italy brand abroad to come together and share their experiences, resources, and goals. In hopes to seek a content-driven internalization rather than one made up of slogans.

Italian exports is a valuable resource for the country and for the world, and should be supported in every way, this can include Italian restaurateurs, importers, and distributors. This will in turn help Italian companies position themselves and grow in the US market. They already have a good head start since the US already loves Italy.

The government is willing to collaborate with these Italian projects, the Governor (Andrew Cuomo) states that it will be reflected because of the distinctive tastes, timeless styles, and bold designs.

Rocco Totino who does accounting and consulting for Grassi & Co, stressed that Italian companies also need to think long term instead of short term, and how they have to do their research to know the depth of the market to be able to be around the advisors and counselors best for them to help navigate the US market.

A big misconception Italian companies have is that they are very well known in Italy and think they are also known abroad, but that is a mistake. That is why Giovanni Colavita, CEO of Colavita USA made a company to serve as a bridge called You Italian hub.

Overall, many agreed on how this is very beneficial helping businesses in many different aspects and to prepare young people to be open and ready to look for opportunities abroad.

– Kaitlin Sonday