ITALY | Cibus Tec 2026, which has just concluded at Fiere di Parma, recorded a record turnout of well over 40,000 trade visitors, up 10 percent compared with the 2023 edition, from 120 countries.
The exhibition brought together companies, buyers and industry professionals to explore technologies for the food and beverage industry, reaffirming its role on the international trade fair scene.
International participation contributed significantly to the event's success, with foreign companies accounting for 30 percent of the 1,300 exhibitors, alongside national pavilions from 19 countries represented across all exhibition halls.
The breadth of the offering fostered dialogue between markets and technology providers, showcasing solutions for every stage of the supply chain, from production and processing to packaging.
More than 3,000 international top buyers attended the exhibition in Parma through the Top Buyer Program, the largest incoming buyer programme in the sector.
Among the most significant international markets, Africa confirmed its strong interest in Italian technologies, with more than 300 professionals from 20 African countries attending the exhibition.
Their participation builds on the Cibus Tec for Africa initiative, which has brought Italian companies and expertise to five African markets this year through trade missions and meetings with local stakeholders.
Cibus Tec for Africa will continue in 2027 with new initiatives to develop collaboration opportunities and promote the transfer of Italian technologies and expertise. Among the events already confirmed is an Italian exhibition pavilion at Anuga Select South Africa, taking place in Cape Town in June 2027.
For the first time, Cibus Tec launched a dedicated project for the Bakery sector, expanding its offering and establishing itself as Italy’s leading industrial trade fair platform for baking and bakery technologies. This is a strategic sector for Italian exports of food processing technologies, accounting for 15.3 percent of their total value.
The exhibition provided a forum for discussion on key innovation challenges, from new formulations and waste reduction to energy savings and digitalisation.
Through the Bakery? Yes, We Tec! project, Cibus Tec showcased the technological solutions driving an increasingly interconnected and global supply chain.
Beverage, one of the long-standing pillars of Cibus Tec, also played a central role in this edition, with the Beverage? Yes, We Tec! and Wine? Yes, We Tec! projects and an entire exhibition hall dedicated to technologies for liquid food, water, soft drinks, wine, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Leading global players presented solutions across the entire technological chain, addressing changing consumer trends and growing demands for sustainability, energy efficiency, and plant reliability. The presence of these technologies further confirmed Cibus Tec’s role as a key reference point for the beverage industry and the wine supply chain.
Cibus Tec will return to Parma from the 23rd to the 26th of October 2029.
The exhibition is organised by Koeln Parma Exhibitions (KPE), a joint venture between Koelnmesse GmbH and Fiere di Parma S.p.A., combining expertise and experience in organising international trade fairs and developing events dedicated to industry and the agri-food sector.
