Since 1990, he has been working in the field of services for international fruit and vegetable trade and has been active for over 10 years in the berry sector, mainly in export and import. He recently published "Piccoli Frutti 2018", a report on the global berry sector (with a particular focus on production, consumption, varieties, and innovation), and was a speaker at the Global Berry Congress 2019 in Amsterdam, presenting on the Italian blueberry sector. He is the creator and organizer of the Mirtillo Business Day, the first Italian event focused on blueberries.
Commercial Manager EMEA – Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Inc. (USA)
Hans Liekens joined Fall Creek as Commercial Manager EMEA in September 2017. He graduated as a commercial engineer from Vrije Universiteit Brussels and has over 25 years of experience with various multinationals such as Tropicana-PepsiCo, Campina, and Chiquita, working in sales and marketing with a strong focus on consumers and customers.
As a newcomer to the blueberry industry, he now applies his knowledge and experience to drive innovation and new ways of thinking in the sector.
Agronomist with a Master in International Business Management with Marketing, he is the Procurement Manager at Berry Gardens (UK), the largest berry cooperative in the United Kingdom, with over €350M in revenue and a market share exceeding 30%. He is responsible for the global coordination and commercial planning of international suppliers, working closely with the large retail sales team.
Executive Director – Chilean Blueberry Committee (Chile) and Past President – International Blueberry Organization
Past President of the International Blueberry Organization, he is currently the Director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, representing the country’s blueberry producers and exporters with the largest blueberry harvest in the southern hemisphere. It has over 15,000 hectares in production and exports to over 100 global markets.
Managing Director of SG MARKETING, a company specializing in marketing consulting for food and beverage operators. Responsible for projects related to strategic consulting, product launches, and the management of business development plans aimed at internationalization. An opinion leader in the sector, he is a speaker at conferences and specialized seminars.
Associate Professor of Business Management – LUMSA University (Rome)
She works at the Department of Human Sciences – Communication, Education, and Psychology at LUMSA University in Rome. She is the Rector's Delegate for the third mission and University Referent for job placement. She teaches Marketing and Web Marketing & Digital Advertising. Her main research interests are consumer behavior, entrepreneurship, and marketing in the food & beverage business.
Trade Marketing Professor – Bologna Business School Founder Partner – Trade Marketing Studio
Marco Repezza is the founding partner of Trademarketing.it, a marketing company specializing in the sales development of branded and private label companies in modern sales channels, particularly in large-scale retail (food and non-food), collaborating and consulting with several Italian distribution chains. He previously led Private Label and Brand Management projects, Category Management, and purchasing reorganization and served as Business Analyst at the international company Daymon Worldwide Inc., specializing in the development of U.S. retailer private labels. He has participated in several Category Management projects at Conad s.c.a.r.l. and global key accounting for other international distributors. His main clients include: Abbott, Altromercato, Beps, Bticino, Carrefour, Crai, Danone, De Cecco, FederDOP, Federfarmaco, Franciacorta, Italpizza, Lavazza, Lyreco, L'Oreal, Montenegro, Nestlé, Sigma, Sonepar, Unaprol, Unifarm, Unigrana, 3M. He holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bologna and a Master’s in Visual Merchandising from Bocconi University (Milan).
Journalist, Writer, Lecturer, Critic, and Food and Wine Expert
Andrea Grignaffini was born in Parma in 1963. Since 1990, he began a close journalistic collaboration with his mentor, Gino Veronelli, writing for “Buone Cose” in the namesake guide, working on the Restaurant Guide and Label. He then became the creative director of the bimonthly magazine Spirito diVino, and also teaches Methodology of Critical Tasting at the University of Parma for the degree course in Gastronomic Sciences, later becoming a lecturer in Methodology of Tasting at San Raffaele University in Milan. He is a member of the executive board of the Espresso Restaurant Guide, a food and wine consultant, and co-founder of the ALMA Scientific Committee, the International School of Italian Cuisine. He collaborates with the food and wine page of Gazzetta di Parma and manages the gastronomic series of MUP. He co-authored the Encyclopedia of Wine by Dalai Editore, and with the book Nella Dispensa di Don Camillo (Tommasi Editore), he won second place at the Bancarella Cucina Prize. He won the Luigi Veronelli Award as the best journalist, was a finalist for the Oscar del Vino 2010, won the Verdicchio d’Oro in 2012, and in 2013, the Grand Prix du Summellier awarded by the International Academy of Cuisine. He has appeared on several television programs as a judge or opinion leader, including La Prova del Cuoco, Matrix, and Masterchef. He also collaborated as a screenwriter with Taodue for the television series "Benvenuti a Tavola", and co-authored the book with Pietro Valsecchi featuring the recipes of the series, published by Five Store. In 2012, he curated and created the Best Italian Wine Awards with Luca Gardini. In 2013, he participated in the eighth edition of Cuochi e Fiamme on La 7D, hosted by Simone Rugiati. He writes for Arbiter, Gazzetta dello Sport, and Guideespressoonline. He is a member of Foturecookinglab at the University of Parma and teaches at IULM and the Food Genius Academy. He is the deputy director of the Espresso Restaurant Guide, the technical director of the Espresso Salami Guide, and the sole curator of the Espresso Wine Guide.
