A new exhibition layout and a dedicated area for the agri-food sector with Growtech and Fieravicola will also be introduced. The preview event, Macfrut N.E.X.T., will take place on 19 April and will be exclusively dedicated to exhibitors, growers, buyers and decision-makers.
Turin, 30 September 2026 – Macfrut 2027: the future of the fresh produce sector is here. The 44th edition of the international fresh produce trade fair will take place from Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 April 2027 at the Rimini Expo Centre.
A global reference point for the sector, Macfrut’s trade fair format — unique among fruit & veg events — is built around three strategic pillars: Business, creating new commercial opportunities with companies from around the world; Networking, bringing together leading international buyers, with more than 900 attending the previous edition; and Knowledge, where research and sector trends are turned into opportunities for market growth.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme of international presentations, together with a buyer recruitment initiative carried out in collaboration with the ICE Agency.
Organised by Cesena Fiera, the next edition will introduce numerous new features, starting with a new exhibition layout that will bring three events together on a single large multisector platform dedicated to the agribusiness sector.
Running alongside Macfrut will be Growtech Europe, the new European event from the leading international brand specialising in pre-harvest technologies, and Fieravicola, the only international event entirely dedicated to the poultry value chain.
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There are also changes to the event’s new brand identity, unveiled for the first time in Turin. This is not simply a visual makeover, but rather an expression of the growth and evolution process reshaping the event’s vision and positioning.
In addition, kiwi will be the flagship product; Chile will be the Guest Country of Honour; and Piedmont will be the Partner Region. The programme will also include major international events such as the Mediterranean Stone Fruit Outlook 2027, focusing on stone fruit production, alongside numerous other activities — around one hundred at the previous edition — designed to explore the present and future of the fresh produce sector.
A major new feature will be the preview event on Monday 19 April, with Macfrut N.E.X.T., an exclusive event for exhibitors, growers, buyers and decision-makers from Italy and abroad.
“Macfrut is able to anticipate trends because it is the exhibiting companies themselves that allow Macfrut to interpret changes and transformations. At the same time, Macfrut helps companies open new markets, facilitates meetings with buyers and connects production and technology, as well as research and companies, in dialogue with institutions,” explains Patrizio Neri, President of Cesena Fiera. “In an increasingly competitive global market, no one can expect to face the major transformations taking place on their own. One of the key words for the coming years must be ‘System’. A system involving companies, territories, institutions, research, trade fairs and internationalisation tools. Macfrut aims to be one of the places where this system takes shape, focusing on the quality of relationships, innovation and its international relevance.”
Kiwi, the flagship product
If there is one product that highlights the dynamism of Italy’s fresh produce sector, it is kiwi. Italy is the European Union’s leading producer, with around 400,000 tonnes, and ranks third worldwide, behind China and New Zealand.
National production is largely concentrated in five regions: Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Veneto and Piedmont. Kiwi is one of the flagship products of Italian fresh produce exports, with growth in 2025 of 19.8% in volume and 26.4% in value, reaching almost €700 million.
There are five main export markets, with Germany accounting for a quarter of Italian exports, followed by Spain, Belgium, France and the United States.
Throughout the three-day event, exclusive activities will be organised to facilitate meetings between growers, traders and international buyers, creating opportunities to establish new contacts, conclude business agreements and discover market trends.
Chile, Guest Country of Honour and international missions
Chile is one of the leading players in the global fruit industry, with particular specialisation in cherries and nuts, especially hazelnuts and walnuts.
The most significant development concerns cherries: between 2020 and 2025, the cultivated area increased from around 39,600 to almost 77,800 hectares, driven by major investment in varietal innovation.
Chile’s export performance has also been particularly dynamic. In 2025, exports reached $8.5 billion, up 16%, with cherries playing a leading role, particularly in the Chinese market.
For Italy, Chile is an important market for technologies, machinery, packaging, irrigation systems and pre- and post-harvest solutions.
Chile will have a large exhibition area at Macfrut, with the participation of ProChile, the agency of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs supporting the internationalisation of Chilean companies through trade promotion activities, and Frutas de Chile, the country’s leading fruit exporters’ association.
Although the focus will be on Chile, Macfrut 2027 will also reinforce its global character through an established programme of international presentations, accompanied by a buyer recruitment initiative in collaboration with the ICE Agency.
Piedmont, Partner Region
Piedmont will be the Partner Region of Macfrut 2027, bringing to the event one of Italy’s most important fresh produce areas, with 53,000 hectares under cultivation.
Apples, kiwis, peaches and nectarines are among its leading products, alongside a strong specialisation in nuts, with hazelnuts standing out as one of the region’s flagship products.
Certified products and local specialities will take centre stage throughout the three-day event through a programme of initiatives aimed at an international audience.
New layout and the launch of Macfrut N.E.X.T.
The new exhibition layout will create additional business opportunities. One of the main new features is the division of the halls into dedicated sector areas in Halls B and D, each identified by a reference colour: machinery, technologies, packaging, logistics and storage; fresh produce growing, processing and packing, and marketing; berries; and nurseries and seeds.
The synergy with Growtech Europe will strengthen the pre-harvest offering, expanding the space dedicated to this key segment of the fresh produce supply chain to six halls, A and C.
Fieravicola, the biennial international trade fair dedicated entirely to the poultry value chain, will take place alongside the event.
From 2027, business opportunities will begin the day before the official opening with Macfrut N.E.X.T., an exclusive event scheduled for Monday 19 April for national and international exhibitors, growers, buyers and decision-makers.
With the support of leading scientific and economic partners, the format will offer an authoritative overview of the major trends expected to shape the future of the fresh produce sector, including demographics, macroeconomics, consumption, innovation and new development models.
A networking dinner will then bring together key supply chain stakeholders to establish relationships, discuss sector challenges and create business opportunities even before the official opening of the trade fair.
Knowledge at the heart of Macfrut
With more than one hundred events, Macfrut has always positioned itself as a trade fair centred on “knowledge”, providing insight into the present and future of the fresh produce sector.
Among the activities organised directly by the event, the Scientific and Technical Committee, chaired by Paolo De Castro and coordinated by Professor Bruno Mezzetti, is already working with leading sector experts.
The selected topics will focus, in the pre-harvest field, on the sector’s main challenges — climate, water resources and crop protection — as well as innovation in seeds and nurseries. In the post-harvest area, attention will focus on technologies for fresh and processed produce.
Among the international events already scheduled is the Mediterranean Stone Fruit Outlook 2027, aimed at growers, organised retail buyers, category managers and experts to jointly analyse the future of stone fruit production in the Mediterranean.
