Over the course of the three days, the Berry Area will offer a schedule of technical talks, meetings with experts, market analyses and round tables, with a transversal focus on all stages of the small fruit chain.
The program, developed in cooperation with universities, research institutions, experts and partner companies, provides a unique opportunity to keep up to date with the latest developments in agronomy, business and technology.
From genetics to process innovation, from consumer behaviour to sustainability, the events will offer concrete insights for those working in the industry and strategic tools to face the challenges of the market.
Below, the complete program of events to be held from 6 to 8 May 2025, in the dedicated events area inside the Rimini Expo Centre.
All events will be accompanied by simultaneous Italian-English and English-Italian translation.
TUESDAY, MAY 6
| 10:00 | The reasons behind the success of berries in Italy: consumer behavior - Thomas Drahorad (NCX Drahorad - Italian Berry) |
| 10:30 | What's happening in the produce department: myfruit and Italian Berry discuss with Italian retail - Sponsor: NSG |
| 11:00 | New raspberry breeding program for adaptability and quality - Bruno Mezzetti and Valeria Pergolotti (Università Politecnica delle Marche), Giuliano Dradi (Battistini Vivai) |
| 11:20 | Understanding the genetics of winter phenology in raspberry - Brezo Mateos (James Hutton Institute) |
| 11:40 | From breeding to consumption: raspberry trends - Alessandro Gualandi (G-Berries) and Sant’Orsola |
| 12:00 | Trends in maintaining postharvest freshness and quality of raspberry - Nicole Giuggoli (DISAFA University of Turin) |
| 12:30 | Presentation of the European project Berry Swing - Luca Mari (CSO Italy) |
| 12:40 | Berry consumption in Italy - Daria Lodi (CSO Italy) |
| 13:10 | Berry cultivation in Italy: where do we stand? - Tomas Bosi (CSO Italy) |
| 13:30 | Services and technological innovations for growers - Sergio Panini (Agroconsulenze.com) |
| 14:00 | Sant’Orsola: the challenges and new development opportunities for the berry supply chain - Nicola Leonardi (Sant’Orsola) |
| 14:30 | ILIP: sustainable innovation in berry packaging with T2T R-PET® - Jessica Zeppieri (ILIP) |
| 15:00 | Artificial intelligence to optimize blueberry post-production and packaging - Frederic Sirizzotti (M.A.F RODA ITALIA SRL) |
| 15:30 | Strawberry 2025: the Italian season update - Round table (CREA) with Mirco Zanelli (Apofruit Italia), Federico Stanzani (CIV-Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti), Pietro Ciardiello (Coop Sole), Francisco del Rosal Garcìa (Cuna de Platero), Carmela Suriano, Nova Siri Genetics, Gaetano La Rocca (Planasa) |
| 16:30 | Blueberry production in a global context: challenges and agronomic strategies - Marco Butera (MRB Agri-consulting) |
| 17:00 | Innovative fertilization methods for blueberries - Michele Ghezzi (Agronomist) |
| 9:30-18:00 | Strawberry Pomological Exhibition – At the CREA booth | Hall A1 – Booth 001 |
| 9:30-18:00 | Blueberry Consumer Test – At the CNR-IBE booth | Hall B2 – Booth 046 - Sponsored by Sekoya |
| 9:30-18:00 | Berry Shop by italianberry.it – Hall B2 – Booth 010 - Sponsored by Pasquini & Bini |
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
| 10:00 | Blueberry focus: rediscovering diversity and cultivating the future - Brian Farneti (Edmund Mach Foundation) |
| 10:30 | Infia packaging: network and genuine sustainability - Matteo Camillini (Infia) |
| 11:00 | Global blueberry market by the numbers: data-driven insights and future projections - Sarah Ilyas (Agronometrics) - Sponsor: UNITEC |
| 11:30 | Blueberry import overview and insights into the Italian market - Thomas Grandperrin (Agronometrics) - Sponsor: UNITEC |
| 12:00 | Optimizing blueberry nutrition in soilless cultivation: impact on yield and quality - Davide Raffaelli, Franco Capocasa (Università Politecnica delle Marche) - Sponsor: UNITEC |
| 12:30 | New blueberry varieties adapted to the Italian climate, better for growers and consumers - Andrea Pergher (Fall Creek Nursery) |
| 13:00 | Growing blueberries: soil or pot system? - Cristiana Peano (DISAFA University of Turin) |
| 13:30 | Photovoltaic systems on blueberry crops - Cristiano Carli (Agrion) |
| 14:00 | Naike Blueberry Club: all the opportunities for producers - Matteo Molari (I frutti di Gil) |
| 14:30 | Berry Revolution: Battistini Vivai looks to the future with new blueberry genetics - Romano Roncasaglia (Battistini Vivai) |
| 15:00 | New technologies for growing berries in pots - Stefanie Delgado Perdones (Nuova Pasquini & Bini) |
| 15:30 | The role of technology in turning the challenges of the blueberry industry into opportunities - Nour Abdrabbo (UNITEC) |
| 16:00 | Breeding strategies for berries: the Breeding Value project - Bruno Mezzetti (Università Politecnica delle Marche) |
| 16:20 | Breeding powdery mildew-resistant strawberries: the advantages of genomic selection - Justine Perrotte**, Alexandre Prohaska**, Pol Rey-Serra*, Juliette Bénéjam*, Aurélie Petit**, Béatrice Denoyes* (*INRAE / **Invenio) |
| 16:40 | Metabolomic studies for berry fruit quality - Josè Vallarino (University of Malaga, Spain) |
| 17:00 | Berry breeding: a genomic and bioinformatics perspective - Bjorn Usadel (FZ-Juelich, Germany) |
| 17:30 | New frontiers in strawberry farming: innovation in NSG breeding - Nicola Tufaro (Nova Siri Genetics) |
| 9:30-18:00 | Strawberry Pomological Exhibition – At the CREA booth | Hall A1 – Booth 001 |
| 9:30-18:00 | Raspberry Consumer Test – At the CNR-IBE booth | Hall B2 – Booth 046 - Sponsored by Sekoya |
| 9:30-18:00 | Berry Shop by italianberry.it – Hall B2 – Booth 010 - Sponsored by Pasquini & Bini |
THURSDAY, MAY 8
| 10:00 | Rossetta Strawberry branding project by NSG - Alida Stigliano (Nova Siri Genetics) |
| 10:30 | Well-being, beauty and identity: why berries speak to the heart of the consumer - Manuela Soressi (journalist for Sole 24 Ore, Sale&Pepe) with Laura Maragliano (editor-in-chief of Sale&Pepe) - Sponsor: Rossetta |
| 11:00 | How to create value for strawberry consumers: nutritional qualities and sensory evaluation - Luca Mazzoni (Università Politecnica delle Marche) |
| 11:20 | Precision irrigation in protected strawberry cultivation - Bartolomeo Dichio, Maria Calabritto, Alba Mininni (Department of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences (DAFE), University of Basilicata) |
| 11:40 | New varieties for national strawberry farming - Gianluca Baruzzi (CREA) |
| 12:00 | Breeding Value survey: the European strawberry consumer - Stefano Predieri (CNR-IBE - Breeding Value) |
| 12:30 | Invenio, the French association of growers for strawberry breeding: innovations and solutions for all stakeholders - Justine Perrotte (INVENIO), Sophie Laval, Amandine Gallet, Gwénaël Caer, Roxane Volpatti, Pierre Millet, Elora Pujol, Aurélie Petit |
| 16:30 | Consumer tasting: methodology and results - Stefano Predieri (CNR-IBE) |
| 9:30-18:00 | Strawberry Pomological Exhibition – At the CREA booth | Hall A1 – Booth 001 |
| 9:30-18:00 | Strawberry Consumer Test – At the CNR-IBE booth | Hall B2 – Booth 046 - Sponsored by Sekoya |
| 9:30-17:00 | Berry Shop by italianberry.it – Hall B2 – Booth 010 - Sponsored by Pasquini & Bini |
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