Provolone Valpadana PDO reaches over 11 million contacts in Australia
The “Born to Be Authentic – Provolone Valpadana, a PDO cheese from Europe” campaign promoted by the Consortium for the Protection of Provolone Valpadana, is coming to the end of three years full of initiatives that have enabled it to reach over 11 million contacts in Australia: almost one million readers through magazine advertising, over 10 million views of the online campaign and more than 250,000 Australians among cooking students, chefs, restaurateurs and foodies. Therefore, from 2021 to the present day, Australia has been the playing field chosen by the Consorzio Tutela Provolone Valpadana, on which to initiate the communication campaign co-financed by the European Union, aimed at promoting the added value of the famous cheese, a true European excellence with a PDO mark, reinforcing its recognition and consumption in Australia, today one of the main importing countries of Provolone Valpadana PDO.
Over the three years, the project developed many online and field activities, crisscrossing Australia, reaching consumers and insiders mainly in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and in the third year in Canberra. The partnership with celebrity chef Luca Ciano, who accompanied consumers, students and Horeca operators on a discovery of Provolone Valpadana PDO, was strategic. He has been the protagonist, together with the quality brand cheese, of showcooking at two editions of Fine Food Australia, of masterclasses at the prestigious William Angliss Institute in Sydney and Melbourne where as many as 300 cooking students have been trained.
Not just that, but the TV star also led workshops for chefs and restaurateurs, was the judge at a cooking contest with Provolone Valpadana PDO at the Canberra Institute of Technology, as well as being the face and author of video recipes in which he conveyed all the eclecticism of the famous cheese. In addition, the gastronomic itinerary traced by the Restaurant Weeks has made it possible, in two years, to interpret the two souls of Provolone Valpadana PDO, the ‘strong’ and the ‘mild’, in almost 300 recipes created by chefs from restaurants all over Australia, offering gourmands and cheese lovers the opportunity to explore its sensory notes and the lively character of its dough.
“Given the favourable feedback we have received in these 36 months of activity, we are preparing to continue a similar promotion and information path that will present us with many challenges over the next three years and, we hope, just as much satisfaction. – says Giovanni Guarneri, President of the Consorzio di Tutela – The campaign “Born to Be Authentic – Provolone Valpadana, a PDO cheese from Europe” was created to strengthen the awareness and level of recognition of the quality schemes in the European Union, but also to increase competitiveness and consumption, as well as the volume and value of exports of Provolone Valpadana PDO. Today, the export figures on the Australian market, with + 7.8 %, show us that the work done has contributed to raising awareness in a country that pays increasing attention to values such as quality and authenticity of food products and offers important market opportunities for European producers. Hence our decision to renew this path, with the aim of further improving our market presence”.