Davide dalla Pozza – Australia

For some time, I had been wanting to spend some time in Australia, a historically young country rich in opportunities for those who manage to seize them. I was attending the Master in "Food and Wine Culture" in Ca’ Foscari, Venice, when I met Dario Loison, who gave a lecture about his business case and his company's development overseas during the last few years. Being a native of the Vicenza province, I knew Loison's business reality well. As soon as I had the opportunity to collaborate with them for my master dissertation project, I gave my best not to let it slip away. Therefore, I left for Sydney, where the biggest Australian Loison importer is located, to manage the 2018 Christmas promotional campaign on-site. I visited Loison’s major clients in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, carrying out samplings and promotion activities in the stores to further develop the Australian market.

Definitely the Nerosale Panettone, the new chocolate and salted caramel 2018 release was a big success this year, especially since it is a flavor that perfectly matches the Anglo-Saxon tradition. Another top seller was the Lemon flavored Panettone because the Australian Christmas falls in midsummer, so the fruity flavors are very popular. The Italian community still mostly prefers the fig flavored one, which was always considered the best one.

I can say that the Panettone is absolutely associated with Italy by all the people who know of it; it represents "the Italian Christmas cake." However, it should be pointed out that, among the numerous ethnicities present in Australia, about 50% of the average clientele has no idea what a panettone is. Because of my ambassador activity, I often had to give samples to taste to people who had no idea what a Panettone was, and although they saw it displayed in the shops, they never had any interest in this product.

Unfortunately, yes, many products have “typical” Italian names but are made in Australia. They create confusion and are often indistinguishable from imported products, so they are always preferred for a mere price matter. Fortunately, the quality difference is obvious, and the most demanding consumer is not deceived because, increasingly often, Australian people who visited Italy as tourists look for products that they tasted in their country of origin. From what I observed on-site, I can say that a good 40% of the market is invaded by "Italian Sounding" products, many of which are produced in Australia while others are imported from other countries (Germany, East Europe, Asia...). There are also several Australian brands that started panettone’s production on-site, of course with an Italian name and brand (like Ital Panettone).

Because of the very positive experience, I decided to remain in Australia to take full advantage of this opportunity. I am working in a viticulture company to carry out the famous "88 farm days" that will allow me to get the visa extension for one more year. My intention is to stay in the food export field and to go back to work for the Loison import department in Sydney.