Sana Food “toasts” with Slow Wine Fair: from 2025 they will be simultaneously

BolognaFiere is increasingly focusing on specialized food and beverage, uniting the “organic” of Sana (International Exhibition of Organic and Natural Products) with the “good clean and fair” of Slow Food and Slow Wine, and working on an increasingly sector-focused event offering. And so, in 2025, the agri-food part of Sana, becomes Sana Food, and will be on stage at the same time as the Slow Wine Fair, February 23-25, 2025. While the cosmetics part becomes Sana Beauty, and will be hosted at Cosmoprof (March 20-23). A clear choice, which once again redesigns the ever-changing scenario of Italian fairs, especially those dedicated to leading sectors such as wine & food. And which focuses on a segment, that of organic and natural, still niche, overall, but growing strongly.
The recent snapshot, taken by Nomisma on the consumption of organic products in Italy, carried out in the Being Organic in the European Union project, promoted by FederBio, in collaboration with Naturland and co-funded by the European Union under EU Regulation No. 1144/2014, shows how organic maintains a key role in the food supply chain and in consumer preferences, so much so that the domestic market exceeds 5.4 billion euros in 2023 (+18% compared to 2022).
“Slow Wine Fair 2024 has gone very well: the increase in exhibitors, trade visitors and fans goes hand in hand with the increase in organic and sustainable wine consumption in the Horeca channel throughout Europe. In 2025, the event will be further enriched by the participation of agribusiness at Sana (February 23-25, 2025, at the same time as Slow Wine Fair), thus becoming even more attractive to buyers. BolognaFiere consolidates itself as a reference point for quality food and wine that pays attention to territories”, Giampiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere, commented in these hours, closing the fair No. 3 dedicated to wine. Which, explained Giancarlo Gariglio, coordinator of the Slow Wine Coalition and editor of the Slow Wine guide, “wanted to make people discuss, reason and reflect on the importance of soil fertility in the fight against the climate crisis and in the production of a good wine, an expression of terroir. Producers, consumers and professionals have understood the importance of the message for sustainable agriculture that is friendly to health and the environment. For the future, we are not abandoning this theme, but we want to broaden the horizons of the event with new insights: in these days, we have already matured the theme of the Slow Wine Fair, from February 23 to 25, 2025, analyzing the entire wine supply chain beyond the agricultural aspect and involving all the professionals who interact with the wine world”. 12,000 entries of tradespeople and wine lovers at Slow Wine Fari 2024, 70% of which, Slow Wine explains, were given by sector operators who were able to learn about and taste a unique selection in the wine-related exhibition scene: “proposals that met the requirements of the Manifesto of Good, Clean and Fair Wine and Slow Food’s Italian and International Tasting Commission. Thousands of professional appointments between wineries and sector operators and many informal contacts, with 200 international buyers, selected also thanks to the collaboration of Italian Trade Agency (Ice) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci), and the B2Match platform, which allowed professionals to profile in detail the companies and labels corresponding to their interests”.
Attention to the soil was also a theme explored by the story of winemakers who, at this year’s Slow Wine Fair 2024, shared with enthusiasts and professionals their instances related to the agricultural sector: not only challenges and solutions tested in the vineyard and winery, but above all the strength and enthusiasm of those who are aware and proud to contribute to making viticulture a model of environmental, cultural and social sustainability. “The soil is fundamental, because it contains the microelements that give personality and uniqueness to the final product. It is fundamental”, points out Antonio Barraco of the Sicilian winery in Marsala, “to value micro-territories and their characteristics, which have allowed us to stand out in the world. We should not chase quantity at any cost, because we will come out defeated, but seek quality and sustainability and work to make sure that we get the right remuneration”. He is echoed by Edoardo Dottori, a young producer from the Castelli di Jesi area, Marche: “making a natural product without the use of chemicals requires more work and more knowledge of the land and the vine: you cannot improvise”. “Producing organically is important to follow the inclinations of the soil. Each land has its own vocation for this reason I believe it is important to put the peculiarity of the soil at the center”, concludes Marianna Annio of Agricole Pietraventosa, Puglia. From Brazil comes Naiana Argenta of the Valparaiso winery, part of the Slow Wine Coalition, the network that brings together small producers of good, clean and fair wine and who find in Bologna the perfect place to compare notes: “In 2006 my father bought an ancient property in the region that produces 90% of the wine in Brazil. The area is very humid, so fungal diseases are easily spread. But while everyone fights them with agrochemicals, my father was among the first to introduce vineyard coverage with prevention and biocontrol methods. It's hard to work like that, but it’s because of exchange opportunities like this where we come into contact with other producers that we don’t feel alone. We realize that we all have the same problems, even on the other side of the world”. Reflections around wine, in the vision of Slow Wine, which curates the Slow Wine Fair, but also of FederBio, among the organizers together, of course, with BolognaFiere, which, from 2025, will therefore be intertwined with those on food and agriculture more generally.
“Sana Food, February 23-25, 2025, organized in collaboration with FederBio,in conjunction with Slow Wine Fair, will become the ideal space for sector trends in organic and sustainable food. In addition to the initiatives and insights promoted by the European project Being Organic in Eu, Sana Food”, BolognaFiere goes on to explain, “will make available to the specialized visitor a wide range of organic, healthy and sustainable food, jointly with that of good, fair and clean wine. An all-round proposal that will allow the world of the horeca, of specialized stores (but also of distribution), to meet an Italian and international production structure founded on the ethics of production, work and the environment, and, of course, on quality”, with an offer designed especially for Horeca and Food Service operators, interesting to the organic world. An approach, that of BolognaFiere, already adopted for Marca by BolognaFiere, where more than 250 organic companies exhibit each year, mainly interested in the large-scale retail segment and who find, in this event, their most suitable visitor.
“The decision to focus on channel fairs, rather than a single product fair, stems from the need to intercept in a more targeted way the different targets of interest for companies. Sana, which, in recent years, has embarked on a significant journey of transformation, while fostering dialogue and collaboration between producers and buyers in the sector”, says Domenico Lunghi, director of Manifestazioni Dirette BolognaFiere, “has been able and willing to listen to the market and its protagonists, which is why, starting in 2025, it will offer them separate exhibition platforms, divided by product and channel sectors. In a constantly evolving market, it is crucial for companies and buyers to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. Although declined on different platforms, Sana will continue to be a unique opportunity for education and information, but also an essential moment to discover and present the most innovative solutions by companies producing healthy, green organic and natural products”, Lunghi concludes.