When the final numbers came in this autumn, even the most optimistic industry analysts had to look twice. Italian food and beverage exports surpassed €70.7 billion between June 2024 and May 2025, nearly double the €37 billion recorded a decade earlier. Italy shifted from a €7.6 billion trade deficit in 2014 to over €1 billion surplus today. Yet this success came despite significant headwinds that tempered what could have been even stronger growth.
The first five months of 2025 showed solid but decelerating momentum—exports up 5.6% overall, with agriculture gaining 9.4% and food production up 5%. These figures marked a notable slowdown from 2024’s robust 9%-plus growth.
The primary culprit? Currency markets. The Euro appreciated over 12% against the Dollar since year-start, with projections suggesting further gains toward 20%. Leading industrialists describe this as “the largest tariff Europe now has”—an invisible tax making Made in Italy products substantially more expensive abroad. Similar dynamics played out across Asian currencies, with the Yen and regional currencies weakening against the Euro, pricing Italian premium goods out of reach for consumers who had embraced them during 2024’s favorable exchange rates.
After a strong first quarter with 11% growth, Italian exports to the US registered only 0.4% in May. Cheese exports plummeted from +17% in third quarter to -10% in fourth. Wines went from +18% to -41% negative growth. The combination of exchange rates and tariffs created the perfect storm.
Yet even with these headwinds, Italy continued to dominate in pasta, tomatoes, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, and vermouth. This year it overtook France and the Netherlands in cheese exports. Italian olive oil soared 45% y-o-y in 2024, while wine reached €8.1 billion in total value.
The Asian storyline proved more resilient to currency pressures, thanks to strategic positioning by specialized exporters. Italian food exports to Japan jumped 14% y-o-y over 2019, exceeding €1.9 billion. Extra-virgin olive oil showed fantastic results with 56% growth. This is where companies like Genoa-based Alifood S.r.l. demonstrated their value. Operating across 15+ international markets with focus on Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, Alifood’s strategic partnership with Itochu Corporation, combined with AEO customs certification enabled them to navigate both currency volatility and complex Asian import regulations more effectively than competitors relying solely on price competitiveness.
Consumer trends revealed fascinating shifts. Sustainability emerged as crucial, with 46% of consumers prioritizing sustainable packaging, driving 7.3% growth in exports of products like olive oil and wine. Italian consumers increasingly demanded sourcing transparency and certifications like PDO and TSG, while plant-based pasta and sauces gained traction with legume-based alternatives and global fusion dishes.
The industry that nearly doubled its exports in a decade isn’t resting on its laurels. Instead, it’s investing in new markets, embracing sustainability, and telling its story to a new generation of global consumers. For specialists navigating these waters, whether large consortia or focused exporters like Alifood, the message is clear: the future belongs to those who can balance tradition with innovation, and authenticity with adaptability.
UNESCO’s December 2025 recognition of Italian cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the first entire national gastronomic tradition to receive such distinction, arrived at a pivotal moment for exporters. The designation transforms how companies like Alifood position their portfolios in Asian markets, providing global certification that authenticates Italian products against an estimated €250 billion counterfeit market. For exporters navigating currency headwinds and fierce competition, UNESCO status offers invaluable soft power: they’re no longer merely shipping olive oil or pasta, but delivering pieces of officially recognized world heritage. This cultural validation justifies premium pricing and reinforces what industry leaders already understood—Italian cuisine represents identity itself, not just products crossing borders.
Looking to 2026, a few things are becoming clear. Exporters must recognize that currency volatility is now just as important a variable as tariffs. 61% of consortia exporting reported market diversification in response to uncertainty, a policy even more crucial when the exchange rate continues to fluctuate.
Asian markets, despite currency challenges, represent the clearest growth frontier. Companies like Alifood, with established relationships and infrastructure built over years, are positioned to weather exchange rate storms better than newcomers. Their ability to bundle quality products with sophisticated logistics, cultural intelligence, and financial hedging strategies will differentiate winners from casualties.
Industry leaders stress that companies need to sell themselves, not just products. The most successful will be authentic, sustainable, and digital-ready corporations that embody their brand name.
Into 2026 we, however, will still face challenges: an international trade deadlock that remains unresolved, environmental problems of global dimensions, and the fact that supply chain costs keep on rising. Italy has transformed culinary heritage into an export machine, competing not only with taste but with storytelling. That the sector reached €70.7 billion despite currency headwinds that could have derailed growth speaks to fundamental strength. For exporters operating from Italian ports with eyes on global horizons, 2025 confirmed that excellence, when combined with strategic partnerships and market diversification, can overcome both visible barriers like tariffs and invisible ones like exchange rates.
The industry that doubled its exports in a decade isn’t sleeping. It’s shifting into second gear, heading east into new markets; adopting its products to the needs of modern, environmentally aware consumers; and telling the story afresh to new generations of global consumers.
The future is for those who can balance tradition with innovation, authentic Italian with make-it-new adaptability—that is exactly what many of our top exporters have been learning how to do year after year.