Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The Chicago Office of the Italian Trade Agency, the government agency entrusted with fostering international business growth of Italian companies and products in the United States, organized a U.S. trade delegation to the region of Puglia in October.
The 11-member delegation included buyers from major U.S. supermarket chains with total combined annual sales of $21 billion. The group was led by Pat Capriati, a marketing promotion senior manager for ITA. Capriati collaborated with Unioncamere Puglia to coordinate more than 200 business-to-business meetings with leading local manufacturers of food and wines.
Capriati focuses his marketing efforts on establishing collaborative agreements with major U.S. supermarket chains while coordinating authentic Italian-themed promotions throughout the U.S. both in-store and online.
The weeklong mission included visits to several manufacturing facilities throughout the region, as well as stops at iconic Pugliese locales, including Polignano a Mare, Castel del Monte, Alberobello and Bari. “One of our goals was to have the U.S. trade delegates discover and fall in love with the rich culture, history, and culinary traditions of the region,” Capriati explains.
Coordinated in collaboration with Puglia’s Departments of Economic Development and Agriculture, the visit garnered extensive coverage from “Telenorba” TV, which devoted multiple segments to it during their newscasts.
Regional President Michele Emiliano expressed his appreciation to Capriati for his role in bringing such an important U.S. trade delegation to Puglia.
