@lakshmioman –
If you want to savour authentic Italian gourmet, come to ‘Taste of Italy.’
An exclusive presentation of Italian gastronomic delights was organised in Muscat by GSL Export, a consortium from Italy that focuses on promoting ‘cuisine tourism’.
The goal is to promote small Italian enterprises in developing their businesses in international markets.
“Together with our food excellence is also a line of food supplements that is well known in Italy for their high quality in providing athletes and healthy people with the right support to their diet,” said Vania Dell’Orto of GSL Export Group. “At the trade show, there was a lot of interest in the products; an example is the freshly made stuffed pasta, but the only issue is the shelf life. Its fresh food and the transportation cost also have to be included. We have pasta gragnano – this is pasta that is produced in a particular part of Italy which is near Naples. It is known as gragnano because of the place and the use of water from the area which also has protected specifications.”
The three-day event was to look out for the right partner who would be interested in importing their products, according to the President of the group, Cinzia Cagliati.
“We have made good contacts and now we have to find the right way between regulations and logistics of the Omani market,” Cagliati said.
She said that the synergy of several companies with different products is a way to conduct marketing and optimise the cost of the activity.
“Marketing is a necessity, but for the small companies, it is difficult,” she noted.
She said, “We are interested in having a presence in the Sultanate of Oman, and this is our first experience here. We are looking forward to furthering our cooperation in trading or finding a distributor specialising in making special food or gourmet food. There are top hotels and restaurants in Oman; perhaps there is a level of expectation in these places – this could be our target and not the larger distribution.”
She reflected that in Italy, “Every home is a little company that belongs to the personality and mentality of the Italian people. We try to do everything to build a company. In Italy, the traditional small companies have played an important part in the economy.”
