Table Grape Meeting, the speakers and the programme of the event dedicated to table grapes

The future of table grapes lies in innovation. This will be the theme of the event dedicated to one of the key products of the Italian fresh produce industry, scheduled on Friday, 10 May from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during MACFRUT, to be held in Rimini from 8 to 10 May 2019. The first edition of the Table Grape Meeting will be divided into two sessions. The first session, lasting about an hour, will see five Italian speakers taking turns to give speeches focusing on current trends in varietal innovation and exports. It will start with international programmes: Maurizio Ventura, Licensing Manager Europe for Sun World International, will present Sun World’s varietal innovation programmes in Italy and in Mediterranean countries, whereas Carlo Lingua, CEO of AVI, RK Growers and RK Products, will illustrate the case of the ARRA™ variety in Italy and Europe. A focus on Italy will follow, with a speech by Alberto Mastrangelo, Sales Manager of Grape&Grape Group, who will describe the distinctive features of the Italian varietal innovation programme Grape&Grape, and Giovanni Raniolo, President of the consortium Consorzio Uva di Mazzarrone IGP (Consortium for the Grape Table of Mazzarone PGI), who will provide the example of the programme for enhancing Sicilian grapes. Giacomo Suglia, President of APEO, will speak about the future of Italian table grapes, focusing on exports and providing an overview of emerging markets. The second session will consist of a round table, with international representatives from the production and import sectors, including: Debbie Lombaard, Commercial team of Richard Hochfeld Ltd (UK), Joaquin Gomez Carrasco, President of APOEXPA (Spain), Annabella Donnarumma, Managing Director of Eurogroup/REWE (Germany), and Stefano Borracci, Sales Manager of Serroplast (Italy/South America). Discussion will be encouraged through video pills made by combining several video interviews with leading table grape producers in Italy, called upon to express their opinion on three themes: the state of varietal innovation and the role of research; the future of production, the relationship between seeded and seedless grapes; Italian exports: which areas need to be improved and which markets should be more strongly targeted. The event is intended for Italian and foreign producers, buyers, technologists and importers. Participation is free of charge and a simultaneous interpreting service will be provided.