Despite the period of confinement, RisoTesta, in particular with the Baldo Riserva, faces international markets. In particular, the USA and the United Arab Emirates, where the Expo will open next October

2020 was a lucky year for Italian rice, with a first positive sign right at the time of the lockdown. From the data of the Risi Authority, +74 thousand tons were sold by producers in the quarter February-April. In fact, raw rice, like other raw materials, had a surge in sales prices during the first lockdown due to the hoarding effect, but above all due to the blocking of imports from Southeast Asian countries that held stocks for domestic consumption.

And if the closure of the restaurants caused an even significant drop in consumption and therefore in rice sales, the market held up well. On the contrary, it increased sales for the channels aimed at stores and delivery. Forced home consumption has stimulated the rediscovery of typical dishes and local raw materials and, certainly also due to a greater availability of time, rice has found more space on the Italian table. Now the time for the total reopening of the restaurants is expected to continue in the positive trend.

“A very particular year, 2020, which has messed up the cards”, says Giovanni Testa , owner of RisoTesta “but which has rewarded quality products. We had to reinvent strategies and positioning ourselves, focusing on online sales, retaining chefs who increasingly appreciate our product, which has been on the market as a brand since 2015. And increasing our presence in selected gourmet shops and delicatessens. In particular, the Baldo Riserva has met with increasing acclaim, and is a highly appreciated product. We are not present in the large-scale distribution, but we are working to open up to foreign markets such as the USA and the Emirates, and to Europe (France, Germany, England and Switzerland) to position ourselves more and more by virtue of the quality of the handcrafted product and with extreme care, from the field to the packaging".

Carlo Zarri, chef and patron of the restaurant Hotel Villa San Carlo in Cortemilia (CN) for years ambassador of Italian excellence abroad and organizer of the Truffles & Hazelnuts Festival Dinner Tour which has been held since 2008 in various cities and US states, wanted to bring with him for the first time the Baldo Riserva to make it savored by overseas gourmets.