The countdown for the Fancy Food 2026 is officially over. Alessandro Sita, led by Sita Food Inc., is preparing to arrive in Manhattan with a solid strategy and a clear vision: consolidate the presence of the Sita brand in the US market, bringing directly to overseas buyers the purest authenticity of Italian gastronomic traditions.
Alessandro, with what spirit do you approach this new edition of the Fancy Food Show?
With enormous enthusiasm and maximum concentration. Fancy Food is not just a business routine: it is an identity statement in a very competitive environment. The most rewarding part remains to meet our historical customers in person, but our main goal is to meet new distributors, to get the Sita line to an increasing number of American consumers. For us, it is essential to support the growth of the brand and to stay up to date on market trends. Our products are perceived as authentic and exclusive, so that more and more specialized chains are reserving room for our products on shelves.
Sending food in the United States requires a complex preparation. What is the main obstacle?
Customs bureaucracy and regulatory compliance. Many companies focus only on the commercial aspect, underestimating the conformity of plants to FSMA standards, the Food Safety Modernization Act. Today the FDA requires a complete documentation of the entire supply chain, with full traceability and rigorous verification on food safety. All the documentation must be arranged before, to avoid customs blocks. The most important lesson we have learned from previous editions is that you need impeccable planning to transform contacts collected in real sales contracts.
What news will you present this year to surprise the American audience?
This year we focus on absolute fidelity to Italian artisan traditions. We will present the new Sita salami line: a real return to authenticity, in a category that is now very crowded with industrial products. These salami are made as they once did by us, in Calabria: high quality meats, natural spices, natural gut and a slow seasoning. Next to this line and the new fresh mozzarella fior di latte Sita, we will organize live demonstrations to show how to compose the perfect Italian cutter of meats and cheeses.
The US market moves between well-being, practicality and the risk of “Italian Sounding” imitations. How do you respond?
The Fancy Food is a sensory overload, which is why we have to taste almost exclusively our novelties. This allows us to stay focused and remain impressed in the memory of buyers, especially when we offer simple combinations between our cheeses and our meats. We respond to the dual theme of wellness-practice with “clean label” products, that is, with very short and transparent ingredients lists, packaged in practical and comfortable formats.
When it comes to promoting authentic Made in Italy products, the only way is to make them taste at the points of sale, proposing a premium quality imported at affordable prices and supporting it with a simple and direct communication. To convince even the most skeptical buyers, point on our Parmigiano Reggiano Sita, which is now also available in a practical snack format, and on the new sweet Calabrian pavement. Our golden rule is simple: “We only see what we would eat at home.”.
What are the next trade borders for Sita Food?
In the United States we want to expand distribution in Texas, Arizona and California, but we are also considering important partnerships in Canada and Mexico. We stand as a solid and reliable partner for both the gastronomy counter and self-service counters. When the fair is over and the lights will turn off, the success will be measured by our ability to generate real interest around Sita products and to have convinced new customers to join us on this path.
L’articolo No compromise: the challenge of Sita Food comes from IlNewyorkese.
