Among the main events on the agenda is the Table Grape Conference, featuring discussions and workshops in the green and white rooms of the Fiera’s new pavilion. Of particular interest is the focus on combating Xylella and strategies for protecting crops, with a presentation by Donato Boscia, head of the Bari branch of the CNR’s Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection
Mirko Sgaramella – Project Manager LUV “I am honored to inaugurate today the first edition of LUV, Europe’s first fair entirely dedicated to table grapes,” began Mirko Sgaramella, LUV Fair’s project manager. “During the three days of the fair, numerous activities will take place, starting with the Table Grape Conference, which will feature in-depth discussions on the world of table grapes, including pomological exhibitions and taste panels for sampling new seedless grape varieties. We’ll also have a cooking show and an award to promote table grapes. We truly hope that LUV – The Table Grape Fair will provide a unique opportunity for all supply chain operators to meet, delve into every aspect of the table grape sector – from the field to post-harvest – initiate permanent working groups, and generally outline together the future direction of Italy’s crucial table grape industry. Over the past months of preparation, it’s been especially stimulating to work in a coordinated way with the various stakeholders who contributed to the creation of this project, for which I am sincerely grateful. I wish everyone good luck and, above all, a successful fair.”
Francesco Menelao – Sales Manager LUV “I would like to warmly thank everyone who has accepted the challenge we put forward with LUV Fair, Europe’s first supply chain fair dedicated to table grapes, from the very beginning. A special thanks to our main sponsor, the Banca di Credito Cooperativo of Conversano, and to Veganic Nature, our Wi-Fi sponsor. Without the support of these strong and central players, none of this would have been possible today. I also want to express my gratitude to all the multinationals and businesses that have trusted and bet on this ambitious project, becoming exhibitors at the first table grape fair. I join the previous thanks extended to the entire organizing committee of LUV Fair and the entire staff for their hard work, confident that this is only the first edition of an event destined for a great future.”
Donato Pentassuglia, Puglia’s Regional Minister for Agriculture “When four young people came to the department with an idea, I listened, and today I thank them for what we are inaugurating in Bari, Puglia: Europe’s first table grape fair. This is an example of proactive politics. A group of young people brought together the department, the fair, companies, and the supply chain. Here in Bari, we will focus on the entire agri-food chain in Puglia, and in January, we’ll have an important fair dedicated to olive oil. We need to activate resources to engage young people and help them take on a greater role. We need new cultivars and early and late species to diversify. CREA, the Italian research body for agri-food chains, present here at the Fair, exemplifies public-private collaboration and is working on creating new cultivars and early varieties for a new economy. Agriculture is a driving force for the entire Puglia economy and also boosts tourism. Over the coming days, I will be speaking with the prefect of Puglia about the ongoing attacks on agri-food businesses by criminals. I invite you all to unite so that politics can help. Surveillance in rural areas needs to be accelerated and coordinated, as we’ve invested significant resources in this.”
Luciana Di Bisceglie – President of the Bari Chamber of Commerce and Unioncamere Puglia“I’d like to start with a fact: 161 companies, rising to 200 with the OPs, are attending the first edition of LUV. This is a great result and a starting point to project the table grape system and production towards ever more ambitious goals. As the Minister Pentassuglia mentioned, it’s a very productive time, with a shift in the sector supported by a network of institutions. We’re all moving in the same direction. Puglia is growing faster than other regions, especially in the South. We can continue to improve if the public and private sectors can truly communicate and join forces to implement actions aimed at growth. When there’s economic development, more resources can be allocated to welfare policies. The Chamber of Commerce has a historic partnership with the Fiera del Levante, and specialized events are our future. We need to grow with these types of events, but we can only do so by relying on an exhibition center that meets our economic development needs. Today, we’ve planted a seed, but it needs to be watered, and we need an exhibition structure capable of hosting other sector-specific events with a global reach related to our products.”
Gaetano Frulli, President of Nuova Fiera del Levante “LUV is born from the enthusiasm and expertise of a group of young people, but also from the synergy between us at Nuova Fiera del Levante and Minister Donato Pentassuglia. In just seven months, we laid the foundation for this event. I believe that the true value of a company like Nuova Fiera del Levante is the promotion of local activities, and table grape production is certainly one of them. You will always find in us a president and staff ready to embrace any project that drives the economic development of the territory.”
Pietro Petruzzelli – Local Development and Blue Economy Councillor, Bari “I think this fair is extremely useful. The sector represents 45,000 hectares of our nation. It’s only right that there is a supply chain fair here in Puglia, for Bari, the second-largest player in the country. I hope this is the first of many editions, perhaps with a new pavilion and even larger.”
Donato Fanelli BCC Conversano “As a bank, we couldn’t miss what we see as an opportunity. Two weeks ago in Trento, we held a convention, and I was struck by this phrase: ‘Do your job well to do good in your work.’ It may sound simple, but it’s profound. I hope that after this first edition, the question, ‘But why table grapes in Puglia and not in Tuscany?’ will be answered. What we don’t communicate doesn’t exist, and this fair is what the sector needed.”
Francesco Paolicelli – President of the 4th Committee of the Regional Council “President Frulli and Councillor Pentassuglia have initiated an important communication about a central product of Puglia. Hosting the first table grape fair in Europe here is an idea that must be pursued, and this is the responsibility of the institutions. We need to improve the calls for proposals under the new programming so that more young people can participate. This showcase of matching buyers and sellers is essential and could not wait any longer.”
Later in the day: a video message arrived in the Red Hall from Honourable Paolo De Castro, who, unable to attend the event, still expressed his personal support for the initiative. “A big thank you to those who have organized these days of meetings to discuss the organizational system for table grapes, including geographical indications — recently renewed through a new European regulation that has strengthened protections and created tools to help consortia become stronger and more impactful in the market — as well as quality, the connection to the territory, and all the innovations in varietal renewal,” he said. “LUV is also a great opportunity to talk about all the challenges of a product that is so important to our agriculture, particularly in our region of Puglia, and I believe it is a great occasion to delve into topics that are of interest to our producers.”
Meanwhile, at the Fiera del Levante, while conferences were being held, several industry professionals, buyers, and journalists went on organized tours by LUV to discover agricultural companies and distribution warehouses across Puglia. The tour participants visited companies such as Op Meridia soc. coop., Nava srl, Cantine Coppi, Agripuglia Fruit srl, Azienda Agricola Gasparro, Orchidea Frutta srl, Masseria Agrituristica Lama San Giorgio, 2erre Fruits & Vegetables srl, concluding the experience with a walk in Alberobello.
Programme
On Wednesday, October 23, the day will begin in the Red Hall at 9:30 AM with two sessions dedicated to innovation: Post-harvest of table grapes: the importance of shelf life and new frontiers in research and Packaging: sustainability, quality, and communication in the current distribution context. At 11:30 AM, another key meeting will take place: Table grapes: meeting consumer expectations to sustain the category, moderated by Salvo Garipoli from SG Marketing, an agribusiness marketing consultancy and LUV Fiera’s scientific partner. The discussion will involve representatives from the Italian large-scale retail sector, who will reveal the keys to satisfying the desires of those bringing table grapes to homes worldwide.
At 2:30 PM, attention will shift to overseas markets with the panels Overseas export of Italian table grapes: challenges and opportunities and Table Grape: technical and business challenges, new supply trends, followed by The value of varietal innovation and the protection of intellectual property in the table grape supply chain at 4:30 PM. The day will close with The table grape registry and the varietal innovation board: planning and competitiveness in the supply chain, a roundtable featuring Graziano De Filippis from Polar Fruit, Pietro Scafidi from Bloom Fresh, Maurizio Ventura from Sun World, Carlo Lingua from AVI ARRA, and Dimitrios Spanos from Grape Evolution.
Also on October 23, other events are scheduled in the White Hall from 9:30 AM, focusing on viticulture, innovation, and the relationship between grapes and health. Not to be missed is the event Cibaria: table grapes, taste, and well-being, organized by the National Association of Women in Horticulture (at 3:10 PM in the White Hall). Meanwhile, in the Green Hall, discussions will cover agronomy, defense, the territory, and knowledge dissemination.
The final day of LUV, Thursday, October 24, 2024, will start at 9:30 AM in the Red Hall with two dialogues: Grapes, food culture, and health: leveraging food composition to promote table grapes, followed by Italian table grape varieties: enhancement and connection to the territory. The highlight of the day will take place in the White Hall with the roundtable discussion The future strategy of the Puglia Region in fruit and vegetable logistics, featuring Luigi Trotta, head of the Competitiveness Section of Agro-food Supply Chains of the Region, Giovanni Costantini from GESFA, Massimo Tavolaro from Apulia Logistics, Massimiliano Del Core from CUT, and Giacomo Suglia from APEO.
One of the most awaited moments of the final day will be the presentation (in the Red Hall) of The Table Grape Awards, an opportunity to recognize the efforts of the large retail chains in promoting Italian table grapes, awarding the best initiatives and the sector’s top performers.
