Three days of trade fair with 150 companies, 50 international buyers from 16 strategic countries, and over 100 conferences on the future of Italian EVO oil.
When it comes to agri-food, Italy continues to play an increasingly prominent role on international markets: in the first eleven months of 2025, exports reached almost €67 billion1, up +5% compared to 2024. Extra virgin olive oil is also contributing to this positive scenario, thanks to a 2025/26 olive oil campaign that is expected to be medium-high, with production increasing compared to the previous season. The recovery is being driven mainly by the southern regions, with Puglia at the forefront. Confirming the positive performance of the sector, in the first nine months of 2025, the volumes of extra virgin olive oil sold returned to growth, with an increase of +14.8%, while total Italian exports in volume reached 303,000 tons, marking an increase of +17% compared to the same period of the previous year.
A concrete prospect for Italy's 619,000 olive-growing businesses and over 4,200 active oil mills, which are now called upon to seize new growth opportunities offered by exports, production innovation, and supply chain policies.
It is in this context of global growth that the inaugural conference of the second edition of EVOLIO Expo 2026 was held today, a leading B2B trade fair dedicated to extra virgin olive oil, scheduled to run until Saturday, January 31, at the Fiera del Levante in Bari. Thanks to the presence of leading institutional representatives, the inaugural event also gave ample space to the theme of the National Olive Growing Plan, which provides for approximately €500 million in investments over the next three years to strengthen the Italian olive sector.
Organized by Senaf on commission from Nuova Fiera del Levante, with the support of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Economic Development of the Puglia Region, Pugliapromozione, and the National Association of Oil Cities, and with the patronage of MASAF – Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the event will feature 150 exhibiting companies, 20 associations, organizations and institutions, and around 50 foreign buyers from 16 strategic countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
What are the main topics of the event? Alongside the exhibition area, EVOLIO Expo 2026 offers a program of over 100 conferences, talks, and events dedicated to the main strategic themes of the sector: from technological innovation and modernization of the supply chain to sustainability, internationalization, and olive oil tourism, as well as topics related to health and wellness and the cultural and gastronomic promotion of extra virgin olive oil. This platform confirms the event as a place
1 Ismea – Report AgriMercati 01/2026
for qualified discussion between institutions, producers, trade associations, and international operators, with the aim of generating concrete business opportunities for companies in the supply chain. At EVOLIO Expo, exhibiting companies will have access to a series of B2B meetings with
European and non-European buyers interested in sourcing extra virgin olive oil for their respective markets. In addition, ICE, the Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, will provide a series of support services for internationalization.
The opening ceremony of the second edition of EVOLIO Expo was attended by: Francesco Paolicelli, Councilor for Agriculture of the Puglia Region; Graziamaria Starace, Councilor for Tourism and Promotion of the Puglia Region; Pietro Petruzzelli, Councilor for Local Development, Tourism, and Territorial Marketing of the Municipality of Bari; Ivo Nardella, President of Senaf and Gruppo Tecniche Nuove; Carmine Cicala, Councilor for Agriculture and Forestry Policies for the Basilicata Region; Luciana Di Bisceglie, President of Unioncamere Puglia; Cesareo Troia, Vice President of the National Association of Oil Cities; Giovanna Bruno, Vice President of ANCI Puglia Region. The inaugural conference of EVOLIO Expo was concluded by Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry.
"EVOLIO Expo is the first trade fair I have attended in my role as Councilor for Agriculture and Rural Development for the Puglia Region, and I feel all the pride of being a son of this wonderful land, but also the weight and responsibility of the choices involved in planning and managing our olive-growing heritage, which has been severely tested by Xylella. - said Francesco Paolicelli, Councilor for Agriculture and Rural Development for the Puglia Region - This is precisely where we must start: with the goal of moving away from emergency thinking and developing structural responses that meet the expectations of the entire olive oil supply chain, as well as long-term strategies to be shared with all agricultural and economic partners. These strategies must accompany public decisions with rigor, method, scientific expertise, and data, and they must be able to balance land protection, sustainable production, and economic prospects. The actions we are called upon to implement - Francesco Paolicelli reiterated - They must be useful in promoting a leadership that is not only quantitative or linked to the quality of production, but which must also enable our producers to strengthen the recognition and positioning of Apulian extra virgin olive oil on national and international markets, building value throughout the supply chain. The decision to give immediate continuity to EVOLIO Expo, after the pilot edition in 2025, reaffirms the strategic value of agriculture and the olive-oil supply chain as central elements of regional policies. It also confirms how fundamental the work carried out to date with companies, institutions, schools, and national and international stakeholders is for extra virgin olive oil. This work is based on expertise, territorial identity, and a vision for the future, strengthening Puglia's role as a national and international benchmark in the olive sector, called upon today to lead not only production but also innovation in policies and development models."
“Extra virgin olive oil is a universal language through which Puglia presents itself, distinguishes itself, and builds its reputation in Italy and around the world. Integrating it into tourism policies,” - emphasized Graziamaria Starace, Councilor for Tourism and Promotion of the Puglia Region - "means transforming it into an experience, an accessible story, an opportunity for producers and visitors to meet. The Puglia Region is working to make olive oil tourism a strategic lever, creating a stable and replicable model through system tools, shared protocols, and territorial alliances that bring together tourism, agriculture, and promotion. In this context, EVOLIO Expo represents a strategic platform in which oil becomes an ambassador for Puglia in the world and, at the same time, a driver of integrated tourism policies. It is a place for discussion between operators, institutions, and markets, where gastronomic culture, innovation, sustainability, and commercial relations combine to strengthen the region's position as an authentic and contemporary destination with a strong identity."
“Having a fair like EVOLIO in Bari is of fundamental importance because it allows us to bring the value of extra virgin olive oil back to the center of public and cultural debate,” - said Pietro Petruzzelli, Councilor for Local Development, Tourism, and Territorial Marketing for the Municipality of Bari - "an element that holds together the history, identity, and future of our land. EVO oil is a pillar of the Bari area: it tells the story of our landscape, the work of our communities, and a tradition that continues to generate innovation. EVOLIO is a valuable opportunity to reiterate how this product is also a distinctive factor from an economic point of view, capable of creating value, employment, and recognition at a national and international level. Events such as this reinforce Bari's role as a city that values its excellence and invests with conviction in strategic supply chains, symbols of quality, sustainability, and identity."
“Food and wine are much more than cultural heritage for Puglia: they are one of the five strategic tourist products capable of attracting visitors all year round,” - said Luca Scandale, Commissioner of Pugliapromozione, on the sidelines of the inaugural conference - "The second edition of Evolio Expo 2026 is a decisive step towards greater awareness, including among tourists, of the value of oil as an experience to learn about and taste, a concrete action that strengthens the link between tourism and agri-food excellence, in which Pugliapromozione has been investing for years to support the economic development and attractiveness of the region. EVOLIO confirms that Apulian extra virgin olive oil is the protagonist of a story that combines identity, well-being, and the pleasure of taste: experiences that would be ideal to offer travelers with an ‘Oil List’ to be integrated into restaurant menus. Like a wine list, an oil list would be a tool for learning about Apulian culinary traditions, useful for promoting the quality of our cultivars and enhancing the value of our territories.
“EVOLIO Expo is the ideal setting to reiterate how olive oil tourism represents a great opportunity for development in rural areas: olive oil is not just an agricultural product, but a central element of Mediterranean culture and, especially in southern Italy, a symbol of identity, landscape, and rural economy. In this context, Basilicata contributes with products focused on quality and recognition, capable of generating value throughout the supply chain and attracting the attention and interest of younger generations," said Carmine Cicala, Councilor for Agriculture and Forestry Policies for the Basilicata Region.
“In terms of quality, quantity, and production know-how, Apulian oil plays a key role in the Italian landscape,” - said Gaetano Frulli, President of Nuova Fiera del Levante - "This awareness led to the idea of developing a B2B trade fair dedicated to the sector. Since its first edition, thanks to the collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, this event has attracted the attention of stakeholders. Although initially conceived as a biennial event, the interest and participation it has generated are transforming it into an unmissable event for the entire supply chain. A trade fair like ours has the task of promoting the excellence of the territory, and oil is the first asset we have chosen to invest in. In this second edition, we are growing further and presenting significant numbers. We are continuing our mission of information and training through a rich program of conferences, made possible thanks to the support of Senaf. From new cultivation techniques to oil tourism, during the three days of the event we will address all the key issues in the sector, with the aim of involving as wide an audience as possible. Our oil must increasingly assert its identity of excellence."
“The second edition of EVOLIO Expo marks a further leap forward in terms of internationalization, an increasingly decisive factor for the development of Italian companies,” - said Ivo Nardella, President of Senaf and the Tecniche Nuove publishing group - "The event confirms its status as a structured B2B platform that is increasingly attractive to foreign markets, thanks to the growth in the number of international buyers, which has more than doubled since the last edition. This is a sign of the growing interest in Italian extra virgin olive oil as a product of excellence recognized globally. The format of the event follows the approach that has always distinguished the Tecniche Nuove Group and Senaf: not just an exhibition, but a concrete place for business, relationships, and development for companies. EVOLIO Expo was created with this vocation, to strengthen the role of Italy—and Puglia—as a hub of reference for quality extra virgin olive oil in the Mediterranean and international scene”.
“EVOLIO Expo was created to give Puglia and its leading producers,” - said Luciana Di Bisceglie, president of Unioncamere Puglia and the Bari Chamber of Commerce, - "an exhibition space dedicated to a product that symbolizes our territory and our economic identity. The value of extra virgin olive oil is not only economic, but also cultural, scenic, and social. However, we need to take a further leap forward, because the challenges of the future are sustainability, traceability, internationalization, food education, culture, and tourism. We need to think about dedicated financing that promotes innovation, aggregation, and private investment. Without these levers, the more than 16,000 Apulian companies, despite their consolidated production leadership, risk remaining too small to compete in the ocean of the global market. The Bari Chamber of Commerce and the Apulian chamber system, together with the Apulia Region and trade associations, are also committed to combating the abandonment of olive growing and accompanying generational change, promoting a new model of development based on oil as a product, a story, and a vision for the future.”
“EVOLIO Expo 2026 is a strategic event for the present and future of Italian olive growing and for the more than 540 Italian Oil Cities that have been working for years to affirm the value of extra virgin olive oil as a cultural, identity, and economic heritage of the territories,” - said Cesareo Troia, Deputy Vice President of the National Association of Oil Cities.- "This event represents an authoritative forum for discussion, capable of focusing on quality, sustainability, innovation, and knowledge, contributing to the spread of a true culture of oil. EVOLIO Expo will be a concrete opportunity to enhance the value of the Oil Communities, strengthen the narrative of oil tourism, promote the combination of oil and health, and renew our commitment to protecting the olive-growing landscape and biodiversity. Choosing Puglia, the beating heart of national olive growing, means promoting a region that expresses history, tradition, and an extraordinary wealth of variety. Here, more than anywhere else, oil is a story of community and identity. EVOLIO Expo looks ahead, supporting local excellence and strengthening dialogue between producers, institutions, and citizens, in the knowledge that only through collaboration and shared values will it be possible to build an increasingly strong and competitive olive oil sector”.
"The challenges posed by Xylella, which continues to spread, now require a new phase of regeneration based on support for farmers, replanting, diversification, and innovation, but which still require great attention to prevention and containment. In this process, ANCI Puglia and the municipalities of Puglia—as emphasized by ANCI Puglia—are standing alongside producers and local communities, recognizing the value of agricultural work as a public interest. EVO oil and olive growing in Puglia, alongside the impressive oil production figures, also mean sustainable development, enhancement of the landscape, health, and tourism. Hence the centrality of the EVOLIO Expo initiative, which manages to combine the different aspects of olive growing and responds to the needs of the territories and producers, thanks to a format based on training, dissemination, and the involvement of institutional and technical entities. For ANCI Puglia, initiatives such as EVOLIO strengthen local networks and contribute to building a future for Apulian olive growing based on quality, sustainability, and resilience, from a national and Mediterranean perspective.”
“EVOLIO Expo aims to promote EVO oil and its history, which has its roots in millennia-old agricultural traditions,”- said Senator Patrizio La Pietra, Undersecretary at Masaf - "The Meloni government and Minister Lollobrigida strongly believe in the importance of giving maximum attention to the olive sector, and my presence at EVOLIO, representing MASAF, testifies to the institutional commitment to the sector. The olive growing plan we have just presented, the supply chain round table involving all representatives of the sector, and the strong desire to find a solution to the Xylella problem that has been afflicting the Apulia region for too long are the main points we have been working on since Minister Lollobrigida and I took office at the Ministry of Agriculture. These are fundamental issues for the Apulian and national olive sector, just as it is equally important to take part in relevant events such as EVOLIO Expo, which aim to strengthen the economic and qualitative potential of the sector."
EVOLIO Expo is supported by:
ADM Customs and Monopolies Agency - DT Puglia, Molise and Basilicata, Pugliapromozione Regional Tourism Agency, AIFO Italian Association of Oil Millers, AMAP - Agency for Innovation in the Agri-Food and Fisheries Sector, Aproli Bari Agricultural Cooperative, Assitol, Association of Oil Millers of Puglia A.F.P., National Association of Oil Cities, Assoproli Soc. Coop. Agr., Chamber of Commerce of Bari, CIHEAM Bari - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Confagricoltura, Cons. Tutela Olio EVO IGP “Olio di Puglia”, Italia Olivicola Scarl, MASAF, Puglia Region - Department of Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Development, Network of Agricultural Institutes of Puglia, Uci Nazionale; UNAPROL Scpa and Unapol Scarl.
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