Next year’s exhibition puts spotlight on Chile, Piedmont, and kiwifruit, with new layout, new partnerships and exclusive preview event
The 44th edition of international fresh produce supply chain trade fair Macfrut will run from Tuesday, 20 April to Thursday, 22 April 2027 at Rimini Expo Centre.
A global benchmark for the sector, Macfrut is a trade fair format unique among fruit and vegetable events, built on three strategic pillars: Business, for new commercial opportunities with businesses from around the world; Networking, with top international buyers (more than 900 at the last edition); and Knowledge, where research and industry trends create opportunities for market growth.
The show floor will be complemented by a comprehensive programme of international presentations and visiting buyer delegations coordinated with the Italian trade promotion agency ICE.
Organised by Cesena Fiera, the next edition brings plenty of new features, starting with a new exhibition layout that brings three events together on a single, large multi-sector agribusiness platform.
Running alongside Macfrut will be Growtech Europe, the new European edition of the leading international brand dedicated to the pre-harvest sector, and Fieravicola, the only international event dedicated entirely to the poultry supply chain.
There is also a new brand identity, previewed in Turin: not a simple restyling, but an expression of the growth and evolution that is redefining the show’s vision and positioning.
And there is more: kiwifruit as Fruit in Focus, the spotlight on Chile as Featured Country, Piedmont as Partner Region and major international conferences such as Mediterranean Stonefruit Outlook 2027 on stone fruit growing, along with numerous other events (around a hundred at the last edition) offering insight into the present and future of fresh produce.
A significant newcomer is the preview day on Monday, 19 April with Macfrut NEXT, an exclusive event for national and international exhibitors, producers, buyers and decision-makers.
“Macfrut is able to anticipate trends because the exhibiting companies themselves enable Macfrut to interpret change and transformation. At the same time, Macfrut helps businesses open up new markets, fosters meetings with buyers, and connects production with technology and the world of research with the world of business, while promoting engagement with governmental and non-governmental bodies,” explains Patrizio Neri, President of Cesena Fiera.
“In an increasingly competitive global market, no one can expect to tackle the major transformations under way alone. One of the key words of the coming years must be ‘system’: a system linking businesses, regions, public and industry bodies, research, trade fairs and internationalisation tools.
”Macfrut aims to be one of the places where this system takes shape, and it intends to do so by focusing on the quality of relationships, its capacity for innovation and its international relevance.”
Fruit in Focus: kiwifruit
If one fruit embodies the dynamism of Italian fresh produce, it is kiwifruit. Italy is the EU’s leading producer, at around 400,000 tonnes, and ranks third worldwide behind only China and New Zealand. National production is concentrated largely in five regions: Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Veneto, and Piedmont. Kiwifruit is one of the flagship products of Italian fresh produce exports, thanks to growth in 2025 of 19.8 per cent in volume and 26.4 per cent in value, to around €700mn.
There are five main markets, with Germany taking a quarter of Italy’s exports, followed by Spain, Belgium, France, and the US. Over the three days of the show, exclusive events will bring together fresh produce businesses, traders and international buyers, providing opportunities to make new contacts, strike commercial deals and learn more about market trends.
Chile as featured country, plus international missions
Chile is a major player in global fruit growing, with particular specialisation in cherries and nuts (hazelnuts and walnuts). The most significant figure relates to cherries: between 2020 and 2025, the area planted rose from around 39,600ha to almost 77,800ha thanks to massive investment in varietal innovation.
Against this backdrop, the country stands out for its dynamic exports, which reached US$8.5bn in 2025 (+16 per cent), with cherries the stars of the show, especially on the Chinese market. For Italy, Chile is an important market as a buyer of technology, machinery, packaging, irrigation systems and pre- and post-harvest solutions.
Chile will be present at Macfrut with a large exhibition area featuring ProChile, the agency of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that supports the internationalisation of Chilean businesses through trade promotion activities, together with Frutas de Chile, the leading association of Chilean fruit exporters.
And while the focus is on Chile, Macfrut 2027 underlines its global character through an established programme of international presentations, complemented by overseas buyer delegations coordinated with the Italian trade promotion agency ICE.
Piedmont as partner region
Piedmont is the Partner Region of Macfrut 2027, bringing to the show one of the most significant fresh produce areas in Italy, with 53,000 hectares under cultivation. Apples, kiwifruit, peaches and nectarines are among its leading crops, alongside a strong nut industry, with hazelnuts among the region’s high-profile quality products. Certified produce and local specialities will take centre stage over the three days through a programme of initiatives aimed at an international audience.
New layout and debut of Macfrut NEXT
With a new exhibition layout, the show multiplies business opportunities. The most significant change is the subdivision of the halls by product area (Halls B and D), each identified by a reference colour: machinery, technology, packaging, logistics and storage; production, handling and marketing of fresh produce; Berries Area; nurseries and seeds.
The tie-up with Growtech Europe strengthens the pre-harvest presence, extending this central segment of the fresh produce supply chain to six halls (A and C). Fieravicola, the biennial international event dedicated entirely to the poultry supply chain, takes place at the same time.
In 2027, business opportunities will begin the day before the show opens with Macfrut NEXT, an exclusive event on Monday, 19 April for national and international exhibitors, producers, buyers and decision-makers.
With the support of leading scientific and economic partners, the forum will provide an expert deep dive into the major scenarios set to shape the future of fresh produce: demographics, macroeconomics, consumption, innovation and new development models.
A networking dinner for the supply chain’s key players will follow, providing a moment for building relationships, discussing the sector’s challenges and opening the door to business opportunities before the show has even opened.
With over a hundred events, Macfrut has always stood out as the ‘knowledge’ show, where the present and future of fresh produce come into focus. Among the events organised directly by the show, the Technical and Scientific Committee, chaired by Paolo De Castro and coordinated by Professor Bruno Mezzetti, is already up and running, bringing together the sector’s leading experts.
Themes identified include a pre-harvest focus on the sector’s pressing issues (climate, water resources, crop protection) and on innovation in the seed and nursery sectors, while post-harvest the spotlight will fall on technologies for fresh and processed products.
Among the international events already scheduled is Mediterranean Stonefruit Outlook 2027, aimed at growers, retail buyers, category managers and experts, to analyse the future of Mediterranean stonefruit production.
