Poland's €8.22 Billion Foodservice Import Boom Draws SIGEP to Warsaw

Poland imported €8.22 billion worth of coffee, bakery, pastry, chocolate and gelato products in 2025 — a 26.1% jump over the previous year — and Italian suppliers are moving fast to claim their share. On 19 October, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) brought their SIGEP Meets the World roadshow to the Embassy of Italy in Warsaw, aiming to convert that import surge into deals for Italian foodservice companies before the sector's flagship event, SIGEP World 2027, opens in Rimini.

The numbers explain the detour. Italian exports to Poland in those same categories hit €865.3 million in 2025, up 25.3% year on year. That's growth running almost in lockstep with the broader market — meaning Italy is holding its position in a market expanding by a quarter annually. Polish imports of food preparation machinery and equipment are also climbing, opening a second front for Italian companies selling professional technology rather than ingredients.

What does the Warsaw event actually change for operators?

For Polish gelato makers, pastry chefs and Ho.Re.Ca. businesses, the 19 October gathering offered direct contact with Italian suppliers plus market intelligence. The program included a roundtable on Polish foodservice outlook, moderated by Natalia Aurora Urbanek, editor-in-chief of trade magazine Mistrz Branży, bringing together entrepreneurs from the gelato, pastry and hospitality sectors to discuss consumer trends and operator needs. It closed with a live gelato demonstration and tasting led by Polish master gelato maker Tomasz Szypuła.

For Italian suppliers, it's pre-show pipeline building. The roadshow feeds attendance and deal-making toward SIGEP World 2027 — The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, scheduled for 23 to 27 January 2027 at Rimini Expo Centre. The 48th edition will span the pizza, coffee, bread, pastry, chocolate and gelato supply chains, along with the technologies and services behind them.

The officials making the case

Italian Ambassador to Poland Luca Franchetti Pardo framed the push in cultural-economic terms. "Italian gastronomy tells the story of our regions, artisanal know-how and a culture of hospitality that is part of our identity," he said, adding that "a shared passion such as this also deepens mutual understanding and strengthens the economic ties and bonds of friendship between Italy and Poland."

Roberto Cafiero, Director of ITA's Warsaw Office, kept the focus on trade flows. "The Polish market is showing growing interest in Italian foodservice products and solutions, with positive import trends confirming opportunities for our companies, including in professional technologies and equipment," he said.

Ilaria Cicero, Global Exhibition Director of IEG's Food & Beverage Division and CEO of IEG Asia in Singapore, positioned the Warsaw stop within a wider strategy: "Poland is a market worth exploring in greater depth, both for the opportunities it offers our supply chains and for the potential to develop trade relations."

With a quarter of the Polish import market growing annually and equipment demand rising alongside it, expect Italian suppliers — and SIGEP's organizers — to keep courting Central European buyers well before the Rimini doors open in January 2027.