Seen from Inside

Biodynamic and organic are two of the most “ambiguous” terms of the agri-food sector. Although often considered as synonyms, in actual facts they are not interchangeable. We all have heard or read them many times by now, yet their respective meanings may still need a clarification. Despite both organic and biodynamic farming aim at creating a synergy between natural environment and biodiversity, substantial differences define and regulate these methodologies of production. In order to understand them, it is necessary to know their principles and regulations.    Biodynamic and organic farming pursue the same objectives but act differently on crops and…

This complicated year is coming to an end and it is time to make balances and forecasts, but also talk about digital tools that can improve our future. The pandemic, the war and international tensions, high inflation but also a weird climate have placed the world and the entire economic sector under a strong pressure. Particularly, the difficulties in finding raw materials and the dramatic increase of energy cost - as an immediate effect of the conflict in Ukraine - have produced serious and heavy economic effects on the balance sheet of many companies as well as on the finances…

Be it a matter of pure gourmet nationalism or simply personal taste, when it comes to sparkling wine the dispute between French Champagne and Italian spumante is a never-ending story. The confusion that still accompanies these two terms, often used as synonyms, seems to make the choice even more complicated. If every Champagne is a spumante, not every spumante can be Champagne. This is because the term spumante applies to an entire category of sparkling wines that – when uncorked – produce a little foam (spuma, in Italian). In this perspective, Champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Spanish Cava and other bubbly wines…

Of all the places in the world where made-in-Italy products are exported, South-East Asia is undoubtedly the most interesting one at the moment. South-East Asian nations, which have undergone a remarkable industrial and economic development in recent years, are increasingly attractive markets for Italian companies. Although trading relations have significantly expanded in the past twenty years, there is still room for further expansion.    These countries are grouped into the ASEAN, the Association of South-East Asian Nations. Established in 1967 by the Founding Fathers (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand), it now counts ten members (Brunei Darussalam joined in 1984,…

Covid-19 has had an impact on every aspect of our personal and professional lives. On a larger scale, the whole world economy changed and so did the global exhibition industry. According to the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, in 2020 the sector contracted by 68%, which equalled to $330 billion in missed trade between exhibitors. Two years down the line, the trade fairs scenario is reshaping in a rather interesting way. Always regarded as fundamental in the process of internationalization of any company, in-person fairs surely provided an excellent opportunity to showcase a company’s range of products and services,…

The terms of sale known as Incoterms® are a set of rules issued by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) of Paris with the aim of clearly defining the meaning of 11 commercial terms used in international transactions. Since they indicate the obligations and risks of sellers and buyers for the sale of goods, highlighting their transfer from one party to the other, they are a set of international rules which have to be incorporated in the contracts of sale especially in those involving trade across national borders. The first rules, known as Incoterms 1936, were published by the ICC…

The Covid-19 pandemic forced us all to change our lifestyle, including our purchasing habits and food consumption. The shift we had to make of a bigger share of our lives from offline to online, provided a big boost to the so-called stay-at-home economy: online shopping boomed – included food shopping – and companies had to quickly adjust their offer to our new needs. The emergency also led us all to pay more attention to our health and to the impact made on the environment by our food choices. This new trend – made of sustainable choices for a healthier lifestyle…

The 21st edition of Cibus, the most important international fair dedicated to the Italian agri-food sector in Italy, was held in Parma (Italy) earlier this month. It was the first, proper post-pandemic edition and despite the uncertainties linked to the Ukraine crisis and the unstoppable rise of energy and commodity prices, the atmosphere was rather positive across the various pavilions. Thanks to the great job done by its organizers – who managed to keep the attention alive by creating also online events on the website of Cibus – 3.000 exhibitors, thousands of new products, 60.000 professional operators (of whom 3.000…

Nowadays logistics is essential for almost any type of business. The ongoing discussion on climate change has recently led to the development of a new concept that goes by the name of “sustainable logistics”: a series of practices and processes which aim at improving the sustainability of supply-chain activities, ranging from the supply of raw materials to the transformation processes, the packaging, the storage, the distribution and the management of the end-of-life cycle of products. Also known as “green logistics”, this new approach targets the reduction of the environmental footprint by considering all the companies’ logistics activities which may impact…

Phil Jackson, one of the most famous NBA coaches, based his success on a fundamental principle: “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” The importance of creating a high-performing team does not apply to sports only: in our contemporary society, it is vital for businesses as well if they really want to succeed in such a competitive world. More often than not, the success of a project depends on how quickly and efficiently single members of a group manage to work together as a team. Although in the last couple…