Once again, Anuga, the every-other-year trade show for
the international food industry in Cologne, Germany,
was the place to see and be seen. With visitors
and exhibitors from every corner of the
planet, and hundreds of thousands of
products covering every facet of the
food world, Anuga is the largest
food show in the world. Now in
its 31st year, Anuga is really
10 trade fairs in one place,
covering over 300,000
square meters of exhibition space. Accompanied
by our publisher, David
Spencer, and our vice
president of global
sales, Brad Simon, I
spent two-and-a-half
days walking the show,
meeting suppliers and
friends, and turning
up all kinds of new and
innovative products.
American market, but all of whom hope to be soon. For example, almost as
soon as we entered, we stopped to sample the exquisite olive oils of
Fontanara ( www.fontanara.it), a family-owned-and-operated farm
situated north of Verona, Italy. Marco Fasoli, the scion of the
company, took us through a tasting that included his No. 10
Via Fleming Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the haunting Veneto
Valpolicella D.O.P. XVOO, as well as a glass of the com-
pany’s signature Valpolicella D.O.P. wine. Fontanara
also has a wonderful line of vinegars, table olives,
honey, natural skin care products and a host of other
gourmet products produced on the farm.
Always on the lookout for new and interesting
vinegars, we stumbled upon the Expo Aid
( www.expoaid.gr) stand where among the
Greek companies represented was Papadimitriou
of southern Greece, whose vinegars were truly
unique. It makes a Kalamata Balsamic Vinegar
from sun-dried currants instead of wine, along
with Kalamata Balsamic Vinegar with Honey,
and one combined with figs.
36
Anuga is divided into 10
dynamic areas: Bread,
Bakery & Hot Beverages;
Chilled & Fresh Foods;
Dairy; Drink; Fine Food;
Food Service; Frozen Food;
Meat; Organic Products; and
Retail Tec, offering the latest in
store technology, packaging and
fixtures. We began our sojourn in
one of the Fine Food halls, the largest
and most international of all the sections,
featuring gourmet products from over
3,500 companies. Here, we had the opportunity
to taste several products that are not yet on the
The packaging at Mussini L’Arte del Gusto
( www.mussini.it and www.fellinilife-
style.com), maker of traditional balsamic
vinegars, set a high mark for comparison
in the rest of the show. The company’s
Balsamico No. 30 was packed in an elegant
trapezoidal bottle that was inside a pink
box that could have come straight from
Chanel; and the simpler yet also elegant
bottles of its Fellini Lifestyle Raspberry
Dressing, a condiment made from
grape must and fruit juice, would
stand out on any store shelf.
www.gourmetbusiness.com
Another innovative packaging
design was at Moulin Saint-Michel
( www.moulinsaintmichel.
com), one of whose extra virgin
