Trade members, buyers and tasters/enthusiasts on four expo days.
Organized by Rimini Fiera in collaboration with Unionbirrai,
the first edition of the only event in Italy dedicated to the entire craft and special beer chain
Rimini, 24th February 2015 – Rimini Fiera drinks a toast to the success of Beer Attraction, which ended today with over 200 companies exhibiting, after four busy days of tasting andbusiness. Chairman Lorenzo Cagnoni states, “With Unionbirrai, we won a new challenge and crowned the city of Rimini and its Riviera as the natural locations for an event dedicated to the craft beer and special beer market, a growing business sector.”
The 13,218 visitors who crowded halls A7-C7 and the expo centre’s conference halls from Saturday to today confirm the approval of trade members and buyers, as well as tasters/enthusiasts.Business Unit manager Patrizia Cecchi comments, “Great appreciation was shown for the new format adopted, unique in Italy. In fact, Beer Attraction brought together the chain’s key players:from breweries from all over Italy, as well as an important turnout from abroad, through the leading machinery and accessory companies, to those with raw materials, dedicating space on two days to consumer visitors and on the other two to trade visitors.”
Confirmation of the positive feedback received for this first edition also arrives from the space dedicated to international buyers, who arrived from Germany, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Lebanon and Sweden, to meet producers and microbreweries from Italy.
In fact, one of the main objectives of the expo was to bring the HORECA world and international market’s trade members into contact with a product that is increasingly successful and spreading, also outside Italy.
Craft beer and quality food: a winning combination
Beer Attraction was also the occasion for ratifying the combination of quality food and beer, thanks to the participation of Piadina Romagnola IGP, Mortadella Bologna and Salumi Piacentini, which brought together the tradition for eating well in Emiliano-Romagna and Amarcord craft beer from Rimini.
The stand was also visited by the newly appointed Emilia-Romagna Regional councillor for Agriculture, Simona Caselli, on her first official outing in Rimini, who celebrated the assignment of the IGP mark to the Romangala piadina by hammering a tap into a keg of beer. “I greatly appreciate the fact that the production of craft beer is continually increasing”, stated the Councillor, “and that the sector’s key players are young people. This is shown by the very high number of start-ups connected with craft brewing.”
Events at the expo
Over 100 events were held at the expo: from the 10th edition of Beer of the Year, the most eagerly awaited contest among the various national competitions, with no less than 820 beers competing and an international panel of 42 judges led by Lorenzo “Kuaska” Dabove, one of the fathers of the Italian craft beer movement, who hosted the event along with top beer tasting expert Flavio Boero,.
The conference “Craft beers, opportunities and development in the Horeca channel”, organized by the magazine “Il mondo della birra”, brought craft beer brewers and distributors face to face. Participants included Claudio Cerullo, committee member of Unionbirrai and owner of the Amiata Brewery, outgoing Italgrob chairman Bepi Cuzziol and Silvano Rusmini, editor of “Il mondo della birra”, moderated by journalist Maurizio Maestrelli. “In recent years, in which craft beer has arrived in such an irrepressible manner on the market”, explained Rusmini “we have seen an inevitable face-off process, which now requires producers and distributors to sit down and discuss matters. It is necessary to work together to increase consumption and, consequently, production.”
Dedicated on the other hand to craft beer and large-scale distribution, there was a conference, also organized by ‘Il mondo della birra’ and Unionbirrai, on “Craft Beers, opportunities and relationships with modern distribution”, at which participants included: Federico Casari, Unionbirrai committee member, Mario Favaretto, Unicomm grocery purchase management, Pierpaolo Schierano, buyer and owner of Magnone, Roberto Bagli of Target 2000 and Mario Visconti Oltrona, journalist with Il Mondo della Birra.
An important role was also played by ”Excise duties, yes we change! The proposal for new regulations to safeguard the competitiveness of Italian microbreweries”, which asked politicians for a commitment to the reduction of duty in this sector. Speakers included: Rt. Hon. Chiara Gagnarli (Agriculture Commission, Chamber of Deputies) Rt. Hon. Marco Di Maio(Finance Commission, Chamber of Deputies), Rt. Hon. Marco Donati (Manufacturing Commission, Chamber of Deputies).
Beer Attraction also hosted the presentation of the 2015/2016 Homebrewing contest, at which participants will be the best homebrewed beers (i.e. those not made by professional brewers), from Italy and abroad, who will fight it out to make the best tastiest beers. The winner will be awarded the 300-litre Simatec high performance plant on show at the expo. The winner will announced on the occasion of the second edition of Beer Attraction.
Numerous personalities were seen at the expo: from water polo champion Amaurys Perez, of Cuban origin, but a naturalized Italian, winner of a gold medal at the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, as well as a beer producer, to big names in international journalism and publishing, such as Evan Rail and Conrad Seidl, to mention just a few.
Show cooking events
Craft beer has also already conquered haute cuisine, where it is increasingly appreciated by great chefs for the creation of their culinary masterpieces. This was shown by the success of theshow cooking events held under the Technical management of Marco Di Lorenzi, executive chef of the Hotel Alexander Museum Palace (Pesaro), with the organization and coordinationof Spiridione Ripaldi of Eventi & Qualità. The key players included Claudio Di Bernardo, executive chef of Rimini’s Grand Hotel and Roberto Scarpelli, executive chef of the Palace Hotel in Milano Marittima; and young talents of Italian cuisine, such as Luca Malacrida executive chef of the Hotel Residenza Paolo VI and Palazzo Cardinal Cesi in Rome, Stefano Salvi executive chef of Rome’s Eco Blu restaurant, Francesco Arena executive chef of Rimini’s Hotel Continental, Martina Baggioni pastry chef of the Hotel Regina Elena 57 (Rimini), Filippo Fulgenzi, Cristian Girolomoni and Federico Angeli, all chefs at the Alexander Museum Palace hotel (Pesaro).
Beer Attraction will be back in February 2016. www.beerattraction.it
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