Inaugurated at the Embassy of Italy in Sofia the 10th Week of Italian Cuisine: Diagram Group Presented

Sofia, 28 November 2025 – On 24 November, the Italian Ambassador in Sofia, Marcello Apicella, opened the traditional Italian Cuisine Week in the World (‘SCIM’) at the Italian Residence with an exclusive event dedicated to agri-food innovation and the promotion of Italian food and wine excellence, entitled ‘Italian innovation in support of the development of the agri-food sector’.

‘With events such as this evening’s, we aim to strengthen the dialogue between Italian excellence and Bulgarian institutions and industry representatives, in order to foster collaboration between our countries, which already share important projects and brilliant bilateral cooperation in the sector,’ emphasised Ambassador Apicella.

Now in its tenth year, SCIM is an annual event organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Italian culinary traditions and quality agri-food products.

The inaugural event opened with a welcome by Ambassador Apicella and a presentation by experts from the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food on the state of the digitisation process in the local agricultural sector. The programme continued with a presentation by Roberto Mancini, CEO of Diagram S.p.A., the Italian agritech company owned by CDP Equity (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group), Trilantic Europe and BF Agricola, which has established itself as a leader in the European agritech sector by offering services in the fields of precision agriculture, irrigation sensors, soil mapping and resource management for public administrations. During the presentation, Diagram’s CEO, Roberto Mancini, addressed an audience of professionals from public administration and associations representing the agri-food sector, providing food for thought on opportunities for modernising the agricultural sector and more efficient use of water resources, issues that are strongly felt in Bulgaria.

“We are honoured to have been invited to represent Italian agritech innovation in such an important institutional context,” said Mancini. “Bulgaria is a rapidly evolving market, and we believe that collaboration between Italian technologies and local agricultural companies can generate immediate value. The digital transition is no longer a future prospect, but a strategic lever for the competitiveness and sustainability of agri-food supply chains.”

ICE Director Andrea D’Andrea, who spoke during the evening, recalled that “Diagram Group represents Italian excellence in the agritech sector, capable of bringing concrete innovation to agri-food supply chains. The presence of CDP and the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture, together with the main Bulgarian companies in the sector, confirms the strategic value of the initiative. Events such as this are the most effective way to bring Italian technologies closer to the Bulgarian market and promote new growth opportunities for Italian companies.”

Afterwards, guests were able to enjoy a 360-degree immersive experience, thanks to an interactive tour created using advanced technologies and virtual reality.

The evening ended with a tasting of excellent Italian gastronomic products, prepared by Chef Carlo Luzzani and accompanied by the famous wines of the Friuli-based Fantinel winery.

The event was attended by, among others, the President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tsvetan Simeonov, and the heads of the Executive Forestry Agency, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, the Meat Processors Association, the Fruit and Vegetable Processors Association, and the Cereal Producers Association. A large delegation of representatives from the Italian System in Bulgaria was also present. The event was organised by the Embassy, the Cultural Institute and the ICE Agency in Sofia in collaboration with Confindustria Bulgaria and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.

Diagram
Diagram was born in 2024 from the transformation of the IBF Servizi SpA Group and the acquisitions of Agronica Srl, Abaco SpA, Agriconsulting SpA and Netsens Srl. It is an Italian and European leader in the digitalisation of services dedicated to the agri-food sector, in the development of farm management software and in the management of delivery processes, monitoring and control of environmental and agricultural support programmes. A partner of important governments on the European continent, it supports public administration, agricultural companies, banking and insurance institutions and the agri-food industry with the aim of promoting social, economic and environmental sustainability. Today the company is 41.6% owned by CDP Equity (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group), 41.6% by Trilantic Europe and 15% by BF Agricola.