B2Cheese, Bergamo’s B2B event dedicated to the dairy industry, is approaching

The 23 and 24 September returns to Bergamo B2Cheese, the only international B2B event in Italy entirely dedicated to the dairy industry.

Two days designed to bring companies, buyers, importers and professional operators together in the same place, along with expertise, information and tools useful for understanding markets and developing new business opportunities.

The market

Italian cheese continues to find space in international markets. In the first five months of 2026 thedairy exports have maintained a positive trend, driven above all by cheese sales to Europe, the destination for approximately83% of Italian exports in the sector.

The strong presence on the European market has offset the difficulties recorded in other areas. Positive signals are also coming from some strategic non-European markets: in the first five months of the year, cheese exports grew by8,2% in Canada and by 9,6% in Saudi Arabia. Consolidating the positions achieved and developing new ones is therefore becoming one of the key challenges for companies in the industry. 24,8%

Two days to build relationships

The business dimension remains at the heart of B2Cheese. For the 2026 edition, the event has strengthened its incoming programme and its relationship-building efforts with Italian and international buyers and importers, with the aim of increasing the quality and practical value of meetings between supply and demand.

This work takes on particular importance in the current market climate. Consolidating the positions achieved, entering new channels, presenting a product to different stakeholders and understanding how demand and distribution are changing now require direct contacts, up-to-date data and a constant presence in the market. B2Cheese brings this work together over two days, designed exclusively for the dairy industry.

"At a time when Italian cheese continues to grow in international markets, our task is to create the practical conditions for companies and buyers to meet and build working relationships. With World Cheese Capital, we are bringing to Bergamo for the first time the expertise that enables those working in the industry to understand these markets, not merely meet them", says Francesco Maroni, B2Cheese project leader.

World Cheese Capital

Alongside the business meetings, the 2026 edition is bringing to B2Cheese for the first time World Cheese Capital, the project that brings together in Bergamo some of the most internationally renowned cheese professionals.

The participants include Michel Fouchereau, Emma Young, Perry Wakeman, Delphine Georgelet, Laurent Dubois, Virginie Dhorne and Marco Zacchello, Italy’s best cheesemonger 2024, together with professionals from various countries and backgrounds in international cheese culture.

The programme covers the entire process of creating value from cheese: from production to tasting, from maturation to affinage; from regions to markets; from communication to product presentation, right through to the counter, platter, trolley and service.

A programme designed not only for those who sell cheese directly. The masterclasses are aimed at producers, buyers, sales professionals in Italy and abroad, distribution and food service professionals, as well as companies developing technologies, products and services for the sector that want to gain a closer understanding of their customers’ needs, language and working methods. Registration for the 15 professional masterclasses is already open.

The topics at the heart of the conferences

The professional focus continues in the conference programme, which brings to Bergamo some of the figures and issues currently most relevant to the industry.

B2Cheese will open on 23 Septemberwith a round table dedicated to the future of the cheese counter, one of the most practical issues for industry and distribution. The panel will include Paolo Zanetti, president of Assolatte; Antonio Auricchio, president of Afidop; Vincenzo Giuliani, fresh food buyer at Conad; Vincenzo Andronaco, founder of the Andronaco Grande Mercato Group in Germany; and Donatella Prampolini, president of Fida. At the centre is a question set to have a direct impact on how cheese is sold and valued: how much room will remain for assisted sales in the face of the growth of self-service?

On 23 September, B2Cheese will address a highly topical issue: raw-milk production. The discussion will give a voice to the various parties involved – companies and producers, the medical community and food hygiene and safety monitoring bodies – with the aim of providing clarity without alarmism and addressing food safety issues. An open dialogue to compare different needs and responsibilities and identify solutions capable of safeguarding both consumer safety and a heritage of traditional cheese production.

On 24 September, with a conference organised by Assocaseari, the discussion will turn to markets and European policies, with Clal and Jukka Likitalo, director general of Eucolait, called upon to analyse figures, dairy industry dynamics and the main issues set to affect the sector in the coming months. On the same day, the focus on the EU–Mercosur agreement and the prospects for cheeses with protected designations of origin will involve, among others, Brazil’s ambassador Renato Mosca de Souza, Ronaldo Padovani of Ice/Ita Brazil and Riccardo Deserti, president of Origin International.

There will also be space forinnovation applied to production, from rapid and non-destructive analysis technologies to new applications ofartificial intelligence for dairies. A programme that completes the fair’s role: not only meeting new contacts, but also engaging with those who are making decisions today, interpreting markets and working on changes across the industry.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.