SIGEP 2023, the world’s largest expo for sweets and desserts, took place from January 21st to January 25th in Rimini.
But this year, we went back to New York aware that this 44th edition of the World Dolce Expo has been quite different from any other previous one.
Not just because MODALiTA has received an award from the world’s gelato leading manufacturer BRAVO for being one of their best commercial partner in the US in 2022.
But also because this year’s event saw a record-breaking attendance, making it a significant milestone in the history of SIGEP.
2021 and 2022 have been struck by the pandemic and dominated by fear, uncertainties and doubt. The industry has suffered the impact of all the legitimate travel restrictions and health measures. Nevertheless, in 2022 SIGEP showed that the dessert industry was ready to recover and rise again.
This year, SIGEP 2023 returned to the astonishing record-breaking numbers of 2020. The Expo hosted more than 1000 brands and visitors from 155 different countries. All the exhibition area was sold out. Also, delegations of over 450 top buyers from 78 countries took part in the event. Among which, 77% came from Europe, while the rest arrived from America, Asia and Africa.
Moreover, a huge number of micro-events, presentations, shows and meetings took place during the 5-day exhibition.
The expo brought together industry professionals and showcased the latest developments in the world of sweets and desserts, including unique flavors and cutting-edge technology.
Also, SIGEP 2023 offered a platform for the industry to network and exchange ideas, making it a key event for the sector. Overall, the 44th edition of SIGEP was a testament to the continued growth and innovation in the world of sweets and desserts.
What we discovered at this 44th edition of SIGEP 2023
Except for the mesmerizing record numbers of the Expo, these 5 days at SIGEP were very special to us. For many reasons.
Firstly, we caught a glimpse of the market’s comeback after the shock that hit the industry during the last years. Seeing how the industry is safe and sound and headed towards growth, gave us the conviction that the upcoming year will represent a key turnpoint for all the businesses who will be able to innovate and stand out from the competition.
With the demand for quality goods that is starting to rise again and the economy that is going to stabilize, 2023 will probably be an ideal year to make changes, adapt and set the basis for the future growth.
At MODALiTA we had the opportunity to deepen the relationships with our partners all along the supply chain. And by doing so, we could set joint strategies with our suppliers.
As a consequence, we managed to discover and discuss new game-changing solutions to better help our customers to improve their offer and therefore achieve their goals.
Here’s some of the innovations that impressed us the most. Obviously, we’re definitely looking forward to bringing them into the US.
1) IFI’s My-Pick
The first newcomer that impressed us is the latest innovation released by IFI during this edition of SIGEP.
We’re talking about My-Pick, a revolutionary product with the ambitious mission to change the way of purchasing and delivering desserts.
My-Pick is a refrigerated locker that fits any kind of commercial space. Its main innovation driver is that this special locker allows any retailer to buy online and collect in store, with a more agile form of click-and-collect formula.
Its backend includes an e-commerce space that provides brands with the opportunity to create a customized selling platform. In addition, it is possible to fully customize the locker itself with the relative branding.
2) BRAVO’s Fill Good
The second innovative product that grasped our attention at SIGEP is BRAVO’s “Equilibrio” Fill Good.
Fill Good is a multipurpose professional filling machine whose concept is to make the artisanal production process more efficient. But also, it aims to serve better and faster potential customers.
In fact, the device allows the artisan to quickly fill pint sized containers as well as serveware and cups of a variety of sizes. It’s extremely precise and artisans can also use it to decorate by switching to the decorating piping nozzles.
3) Tekno Ice Industrial Installations
Another development we found extremely interesting regards the industrial machinery and installations.
In fact, as we always point out in our posts, artisanal gelato makers need proper tools to make quality products in the most effective and efficient way. An upscale gelato shop requires an adequate display case, performing batch freezers, and so on.
The problem is: what does it take to scale an artisanal business to the next step? How to enlarge production to bring the business to an industrial level?
Batch freezers for instance cease to be enough, and continuous blast freezers step in.
For this reason, at SIGEP we partnered with Tekno Ice, an Italian first class company that provides artisans with the tools they need to operate with large industrial numbers and bigger production processes.
4) Tekné Italia’s Ermes and Ki-One
Last but not least, some of the most promising innovations came as always from the brilliant Italian Tekné Italia. We won’t dig into the matter right now in this article because we want to properly deepen the topic in some special posts in the near future.
By the way, Tekné Italia succeeded at impressing us with two brand-new luxury carts that seem to have the potential to be game changers once again.
These are Ermes and Ki-One.
Ermes is a vintage three-wheeled vehicle cart that stands out for its versatility, elegance and functionality. It enables any food business to bring around their creations with ease and efficiency.
Ki-One is a luxury vintage cart with the same technology and performances of Katerina and Procopio, but slightly lighter and perfect for fresh businesses with a smaller budget.
See you at SIGEP 2024!
According to what we learnt at this new exciting edition of the Dolce World Expo, the businesses that will thrive the most during this new year will probably be those who will be able to intercept first the new market demand and trends.
Luxury and first class brands are heading towards a precise direction. Customers are getting more and more demanding and sensitive to quality. For this reason, any relevant shop and food business needs to prove itself capable to meet and surpass their expectations.
Quality can no longer be a statement. Show, don’t tell: you need to improve your products, showcase them in a more compelling way, and prove that they are somehow unique and different from any other around.
Next year at SIGEP 2024, we’ll find out if we were right.
In the meantime, reach out to us to discover how we can help your business achieve success!