The objective is to be increasingly competitive on international markets, strengthening the presence of Pecorino Romano PDO cheese within a programme of strong enhancement of Italian and European agri-food products. The Macomer-based Protection Consortium is bringing home two new important projects financed by the EU: these will ensure a total of 5 million euros, continuing to invest in promotion on new or already tried and tested markets. The aim is the enhancement of the product and the entire supply chain, as well as amplifying the economic spin-offs in the production areas. 3.5 million euros will be spent in Italy and Germany with Empire, while the remaining funds in Japan with Kyoi: both projects will start in early 2024 and will last three years.
With Empire Italy-Germany the central message will be the information and promotion of Pecorino Romano PDO cheese, a Made in Europe and Made in Italy product, indeed 97 per cent Made in Sardinia in spite of its name. The project strategy will aim to inform about the characteristics and qualities of the product, to build a dialogue that will lead to an increase in the recognisability of the product and the properties that differentiate it from other products, and to build consumer loyalty through storytelling and the valorisation of the product's characteristics. The campaign will use social media, innovative and appealing recipes, cooking shows, as well as involving specialised press and industry insiders.
Kyoi is the name of the project for the Japanese market: the term means 'wonder', which is what one feels when tasting Pecorino Romano cheese. The aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European Union's agricultural sector in the country of the Rising Sun. In this market, Italian cuisine is recently having a huge success, in particular thanks to iconic dishes such as carbonara, “cacio e pepe” and amatriciana, whose main - and indispensable - ingredient is precisely Pecorino Romano cheese.