Ideas to promote PDO products among North American consumers | Prosciutto di Parma at SIAL in Canada
Ideas to promote PDO products among North American consumers | Prosciutto di Parma at SIAL in Canada
Until May 2, Prosciutto di Parma will feature at the SIAL CANADA trade show to be held at the Enercare Centre in Toronto as part of the HAMCHEE – HAM and CHEESE of Europe promotional programme. The project, co-funded by the European Union, is aimed at the North American market – USA and Canada – and sees the participation of two other important Italian PDOs, Grana Padano and San Daniele.
HAMCHEE will last three years and has the objective of spreading and improving knowledge of PDO products among North American consumers and of increasing competitiveness and consumption through a number of initiatives that include
training sessions for sector operators, trade shows and events open to the public, activities in store and with the HoReCA world.
North America is an area that can offer many opportunities for certified quality products such as ours – pointed out Stefano Fanti, Director of the Consortium – and the development of business relations between the EU and Canada is making a real contribution to Prosciutto di Parma exports and not only in terms of custom duties. Thanks to CETA and the recognition of the principle of coexistence, our producers are exporting to Canada using the correct denomination.
Prosciutto di Parma has been in North America for 20 years now. The United States are the leading export market with a turnover of 53 million euros and 594,000 dry cured hams (+3,5%). It is a market that has been built over time through hard work and perseverance and, thanks to the numerous investments in product promotion and brand protection, today Prosciutto di Parma is the absolute market leader. In Canada, CETA has finally introduced a framework for the regulation of Geographical Indications which guarantees legal protection to Prosciutto di Parma and greater recognition by consumers in the marketplace.
Now that we can legitimately use our name – continues Santi – our objective is to develop exports, currently at 70,000 dry cured hams a year, and strengthen our presence in this market, by focusing on promoting the quality characteristics of our product in order to differentiate it from any other product made locally and sold as Italian.
