PRESS RELEASE
Comunicato n. 25 del 24/01/2025 ( download download )
GELATO
Ø GELATO EUROPE CUP
1. Germany
2. France
3. Italy
4. Belgium
Germany, France, Italy and Belgium will be the 4 teams representing Europe at the next edition of the Gelato World Cup, scheduled to take place at SIGEP World 2026. The selection ended yesterday during SIGEP World, the Italian Exhibition Group event staged at Rimini Expo Centre until Wednesday 22nd January. All eight participating teams paraded on stage in the Gelato Arena before the final ranking was announced. Germany triumphed (with Stefano Lucchini, Federico Sacchet and Tiziano Santin) in first place followed by France (Dartois Herve, Allan Cartignies and Enzo Babtista) and Italy (the ‘tricolour’ team consisted of Alessandro Racca, Gabriele Fiumara and Angelo Cardella); fourth place went to Belgium (Fabio Marasti, Maryne Poppe and Jose Romero), thus closing the selection of the European teams that will participate for Europe in next year's world final.
Ø GELATO DAY, HALLELUJAH FLAVOUR
1. Vincenzo Squatrito
Gianduia with toasted hazelnuts, mottled with pure chocolate. The much-awaited flavour of the year ‘Hallelujah’, the star recipe of Gelato Day 2025 dedicated to the Jubilee, was announced at SIGEP World, the event organised by Italian Exhibition Group at Rimini Expo Centre, which comes to a close today. The flavour was created by Vincenzo Squatrito from ‘Ritrovo Orchidea’ in Olivieri (Messina) in a contest that saw as many as 30 master gelato makers from all over Europe competing at SIGEP World. Gelato Day 2025, as we know, is scheduled for this coming 24th March. Advocated by Longarone Fiere and Artglace, the European Parliament has dedicated it exclusively to a food recognised as the heritage of the entire supply chain and it is sponsored by the Ministry for Evangelisation and Masaf (Minister for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry). And thanks to the contest, ‘Hallelujah’ will be available in all European gelato parlours taking part in Gelato Day.
Ø A THOUSAND IDEAS FOR A NEW GELATO OF THE YEAR - MEMORIAL CAGNONI
1. Ahmad Monajemi
2. Cristina Cecere Asdagi
3. Salvatore Ravese
Sigep World today hosted the “A Thousand Ideas for a New Gelato of the Year” competition, promoted by the Italian Association of Gelato Makers, which celebrates excellence and innovation in the artisan gelato sector. The award is dedicated to the memory of Italian Exhibition Group’s past President, Lorenzo Cagnoni. Ahmad Monajemi stood on the top step of the podium with an Iranian pistachio gelato enriched with saffron and cardamom. Cagnoni’s wife, Gianna, presented him with the award. Second place went to Cristina Cecere Asdagi, gelato maker from Trastevere, with a sesame-flavoured gelato. Salvatore Ravese from Gioia Tauro took third place for his milk and honey gelato with brittle. This prestigious competition is valid for qualification to the AIG Italian Gelato Cup 2025. Moreover, the winner will have the opportunity to challenge the best master gelato makers for the title of Gelato Maker of the Year.
Ø GELATO FESTIVAL WORLD MASTERS – GERMAN FINAL
1. Thomas Micolino
2. Rino Bernardi
3. Enrico Piccin
Thomas Micolino, Rino Bernardi and Enrico Piccin are the finalists for the Gelato Festival World Masters Germany, the world's leading competition for individual gelato makers (as opposed to the Gelato World Cup, which is a team event) scheduled for 2026. The selection took place at SIGEP World, where as many as 15 German gelato makers competed. The contest was organised in collaboration with Italian Exhibition Group and Carpigiani.
Ø GELATO FESTIVAL WORLD MASTERS – IBERIAN FINAL
1. Carlo Guerriero
2. Daniel Villa Berenguer
3. Bernardo Vicente Schenoni
Carlo Guerriero, Daniel Villa Berenguer and Bernardo Vicente Schenoni will be representing Spain at the next European final of the Gelato Festival World Masters, to be held at the end of the year, to select the winners who will then go on to the 2026 world competition. This result was decided at SIGEP World, which staged the Iberian final of the competition where 16 gelato makers from Spain and Portugal competed against each other.
PASTRY
Ø ITALIAN PASTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Vincenzo La Monica
2. Francesco Marchitto
3. Gianluca Schettino
Vincenzo La Monica triumphs in the Italian Pastry Championship, the competition staged at SIGEP World, in partnership with Conpait, which saw the best Italian over-21 talents compete on the theme ‘Sustainable Cocoa: from bean to dessert in a circular economy’. La Monica, 22, from Venetico (Messina) won first place ahead of runner-up Francesco Marchitto, 25, from Bientina (Pisa) and 24-year-old Gianluca Schettino (Massa Lubrense, Naples), who finished third on the podium. During the two-day competition (20th and 21st January), the 8 contestants competed in tests such as making 15 chocolates, 3 chocolate cakes with an obligatory crunchy meringue, and 1 artistic sugar sculpture.
Ø BREAD IN THE CITY - BAKERY WORLD CUP
1. China
2. Spain
3. Italy
China triumphed in the Bread in the City - Bakery World Cup, the international baking championship, now at its sixth edition, staged at SIGEP World from Saturday 18th to Tuesday 21st January. The competition, organised in collaboration with Richemont Club Italy, saw 7 teams, each consisting of 2 candidates and a coach, from as seven countries in the running: China, Japan, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Peru and Spain. After the Chinese team, Spain came in second and Italy third with a team composed of Carlo Roviaro and Daniel Zanoni. The competition consisted of several challenges: ciabatta and special breads, free breads, viennoiserie, baked cakes and savoury presentation. Deciding the final podium was a jury of the highest level composed of President Roberto Perotti (President Richemont Club International), flanked by Benny Swinnen, Carlo Bock, Juan Manuel Martinez, Craig Ponsford and Paa Marcel.
PIZZA
Ø PIZZA SENZA FRONTIERE
The World Pizza Champions were proclaimed at SIGEP World through the new edition of the Pizza Senza Frontiere - World Pizza Championship staged in the halls of Rimini Expo Centre. The event, organised by Ristorazione Italiana Magazine, moved to SIGEP World after being staged in the last few years at Beer&Food Attraction, confirming the importance of the pizza world in this historic 2025 edition, which for the first time, opened two halls specifically for this famous product. A record-breaking event with over 100 judges and competitors from 45 countries around the world. New entries included the most spectacular ability competitions such as freestyle, the largest pizza and the fastest pizza chef. A high-level international jury, which included managers from the biggest pizza chains in Europe such as Crazy Pizza, Da Michele, Fratelli La Bufala, Pizzium-Crokka, Rossopomodoro, Cocciuto, Pizza Pilgrims, Cigierre, L'Artigiano, Koti Pizza, Errico Porzio, Rom'Antica and Slice House, declared the winners.
The winners were:
Classic Pizza: Alberto Paolino, Eugenio Iannella, Orazio Puleo
Pan Pizza: Domenico Sancamillo, Nicola Lavezzi, Jan Prostak
Traditional Neapolitan Pizza: Luca Di Benedetto, Giuseppe Ottolano, Akthem Mensitov
Modern Neapolitan Pizza: Sibin Musev, Tomasz Wolski, Antonio Musto
Gluten-free Pizza: Anna Crucitt, Michele Lopez, Roberto Corrado
Paddle Pizza: Vanessa Terilli, Ilie Postica, Sei Yeh Wu
Round Pin-rolled Pizza: Pino Russo, Armelin Kica, Christian Corigliano
4-hand Pizza: Gabriele Asaro&Stefano Velardi; Mina Magdi Ibrahim&Francesco Marchionna; Luigi Zampina&Maria Rosa Fontana
Pizza and Beer: Domenico Fiumara, Gabriele Passarelli, Antonio Giovanni Splendore
Pizza and Cocktail: Paolo Moccia, Patrizio Lapenna, Lorenzo Berardicurti
Fried Pizza: Luigi Zampina, Miklos Raveczky, Mara Novelli
Pizza by the Metre: Luigi Zampina and Lelio Robert Gomes Da Mata Cursio, Christian Corigliano, Andrea Gallizzi
Dessert Pizza: Nicola Lavezzi, Alberto Paolino, Fetene Mathlouthi
Mystery Box: Lazlo Damu, Sergio Asaro, Luka Stankovic
Pizza and Wine: Michele Carbone, Plamen Michev, Giovanni Luca Aquino
Freestyle: Duilio Roberto Armetta, McKenna Carney, Giovanni Luca Aquino
Largest Pizza: Daniele Pasini, Massimo Montoli, Sergio Asaro
Fastest Pizza Chef: Seif Eddine Salem (2’, 15’’ e 97’’’), Daniele Pasini and Massimo Montoli
Ladies Pizza: Vanessa Terilli was the woman who obtained the highest score in one of the competitions
King of Roman Pizzas: Pino Antonio Russo (summa of Roman specialities, i.e. pan, paddle and pin-rolled pizza)
Emerging Pizza Chef: Vanessa Terilli (Under 30 with the highest score of all)
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COFFEE
Ø CIBC-ITALIAN BARISTA CAFFETTERIA CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Daniele Ricci
2. Filippo Guarneri
3. Irene Giupponi
27 years old Daniele Ricci from Brescia, is the 2025 winner of the CIBC- Italian Barista Caffetteria Championship, one of the competitions of reference held at SIGEP World. Second and third places went to Filippo Guarneri, 26, also from Brescia, and Irene Giupponi, 22, from Bergamo. The competition, held yesterday in the Coffee Arena, consisted of preparing four espressos, four coffee and hot milk drinks, and four customised espresso-based soft drinks in a maximum time of 15 minutes, to be served to a panel of expert judges. The championship is valid for the WBC (World Barista Championship), the “Barista Olympics”, with the same regulations.
Ø ITALIAN CUP TASTERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Marco Paccagnella
2. Luigi Paternoster
3. Flavio D’Onofrio
SIGEP World was also the stage for the Italian Cup Tasters’ Championship, which saw Marco Paccagnella, 38, and currently living in Barcelona, Spain, triumph. The silver medal went to Luigi Paternoster, 36, from Gravina in Puglia, and the bronze went to Flavio D'Onofrio, 33, from Pomigliano d'Arco. The competitors proved their ability to distinguish taste differences between eight sets of three cups each of Specialty Coffee in the shortest possible time. The championship is valid for the WCTC (World Cup Tasters Championship).
Ø ITALIAN BREWERS CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Andrea Batacchi
2. Gabriele Pezzaioli
3. Luana Lazzarone
27-year-old Andrea Batacchi from Florence is the winner of the Italian Brewers Cup 2025 Championship. Standing on the second and third step of the podium were Gabriele Pezzaioli, 26, from Brescia, and Luana Lazzarone, 30, from Turin. The competition was staged at SIGEP World. The “brewers cup” preparation method requires competitors to dispense coffee using manual “pourover” methods, or rather, using filtration systems in which hot water is poured over the coffee powder, which is retained by a filter. The participants, who prepared three drinks for each of the three judges, tried not only to obtain good coffee but also to prepare it correctly with the judges measuring solids value using a “refractometer”. The championship is valid for the WBC (World Brewers Cup).
Ø ITALIAN COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Andrea Villa
2. Marco Poidomani
3. Luigi Cippone
As for the CIGS - Italian Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, also staged at SIGEP World, the gold medal went to 44-year-old Andrea Villa from Lesmo (MB). Second and third places went to Marco Poidomani, 49, from Modica (RG), and Luigi Cippone, 35, from Bari. Coffee in Good Spirits is a discipline that combines the worlds of coffee and bartending to create classic or fancy drinks. The competitors had 10 minutes to prepare two Irish coffees and two hot or cold cocktails, based on hot coffee and spirits. The championship is valid for the WCIGS (World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship).
Ø ITALIAN LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Stefano Cevenini
2. Alessio Panero
3. Michele Intravaia
25-year-old Stefano Cevenini from Bologna, is the 2025 winner of CILA - Italian Latte Art Championship, the sector's competition of reference staged at SIGEP World. Second and third places went to Alessio Panero, 25, from Turin, and Michele Intravaia, 34, from Canicattini Bagni (Syracuse). The championship is valid for the WLAC (World Latte Art Championship).
Ø ITALIAN COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Gianluca Lavacca
2. Emanuele Tomassi
3. Michael Angelini
The Italian Coffee Roasting Championship was also held at SIGEP World, which saw 46-year-old Gianluca Lavacca from Bari triumph. The silver medal went to Emanuele Tomassi, 57, from Aprilia (Latina), and the bronze to Michael Angelini, 33, from Ascoli. The championship is valid for the WCRC (World Coffee Roasting Championship).
Ø ITALIAN CEZVE/IBRIK CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Talal Bitar
2. Andrè Tomassi
3. Francesco Stabile
Talal Bitar is the new Italian champion of coffee preparation using an Ibrik, a pot specially designed for a particular type of coffee consumed in some parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The competition was staged at SIGEP World: second place went to André Tomassi while Francesco Stabile completed the podium. The championship was valid for the WCIC (World Cezve/Ibrik Championship).
START-UPS
Ø LORENZO CAGNONI AWARD
Three start-ups and 21 leading sector companies received the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award at SIGEP World, the recognition for innovative products that will inspire new scenarios in the international foodservice panorama. The three award-winning start-ups (from 20 in the running) of the second edition of the initiative, organised by Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency with main partner ANGI-Associazione Nazionale Giovani Innovatori, were: Simply SFA, Koove and Veganok Global Srl.
Innovation awards went to MartinoRossi, Destefanis&Novero and Essenza (Best Organic/Free From product); BOB Robotics, MyFoodOffice and Cooki (Digital Innovation and AI); HOBART GmbH, MEIKO ITALIA and Ciam (Equipment, Technology & Kitchen Materials); San Giorgio, Bindi Maestri del Dessert and Mammamia (Frozen & Ready-made Products); INTERGRANI, Leagel and Galatea-Gelinova Group (Ingredients & Semi-finished Goods); Alter Eco Pulp, Alcas Spa and Imballaggi Alimentari (Packaging solutions & Machinery); Illycaffè, Julius Meinl Italia and Poloplast (Sustainability).
FOCUS ON SIGEP 2025
Dates: 18-22 January 2025; Organization: Italian Exhibition Group SpA; edition: 46th; frequency: annual; event: international trade show; entry: trade only; info: www.sigep.it
PRESS CONTACT SIGEP ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pierfrancesco Bellini; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri
international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; media@iegexpo.it
MEDIA AGENCY SIGEP: Mind The Pop
Martina Vacca: martina@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 339 748 4994; Fabrizio Raimondi: fabrizio@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 335 389 848; Benedetto Colli: benedetto@mindthepop.it, mob. 380 371 2272; Stefano Chiossi: stefano@mindthepop.it, mob. + 39 388 739 4358