Italian agri-food exports reach record 72 billion euros

Italian agri-food exports reached a record of over 72 billion euros in 2025, marking a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year. According to a CREA report, growth was driven by specific sectors, including coffee roasting (+23.6%), cheeses (+13.4%), and bakery products (+6.5%). However, imports also rose significantly, reaching 72.45 billion euros, a 10.1% increase, partly due to rising international prices for commodities like raw coffee and cocoa.

Within the coffee sector, the Istituto Espresso Italiano (IEI) is addressing the challenges posed by high green coffee prices and rising energy, logistics, and labor costs. Alessandro Borea, president of the IEI, has called for the industry to move away from price-based competition and instead focus on quality, training, and the cultural value of Italian espresso to prevent margin compression from eroding product quality.