Panettone and artisan confectionery, business is booming abroad (along with the danger of imitations)

For example, among the many original creations of 2025 are the Panettone al Pomodoro from chef Francesco Ferretti with candied tomatoes and raspberry chocolate, the Moresco panettone from Pasticceria Tarantola in Appiano Gentile (Como) with cocoa dough, extra dark chocolate chips, Zacapa rum sultanas and saffron pistils, and the Chinotto di Savona panettone with basil and white chocolate by star chef Jacopo Chieppa.

Marta Boccanera, master pastry chef from Rome and vice-president of Apei (Ambassadors Pastry Chefs of Italian Excellence), emphasises the importance of the balance between creativity and quality, at a time when the sector is being challenged by price increases: 'The rising cost of raw materials, especially chocolate, does not help us, but people continue to look for unique and surprising products. For this Christmas we have created a purple panettone with wholemeal flour rich in anthocyanins (natural pigments found in fruits and flowers, ed), enriched with a pistachio and strawberry cream. Innovating while maintaining high quality is the key, without being tempted by last-minute bargains'.

The Brisa Oven celebrates ten years with a special collection celebrating a decade of creativity and innovation, including reprints of historical packs, iconic flavours such as Mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano, and three new limited editions born from collaborations with Wilden Herbals, Caffè Aliena and a surprise brand.

Among the daring pairings, Murrieri's Bakery Limited Edition for Paololeo proposes a negroamaro red wine dough with Valrhona 55% dark chocolate chips, accompanied by a ganache also made with Negroamaro. From the collaboration between Cocchi and Albertengo comes instead the Panettone al Vermouth Storico, where the famous vermouth of Turin is used both in the dough and in the candied lemon and orange peel, completed by fresh ginger and chocolate chips. The Paladin family presents the first Agricanto panettone, enriched with the famous Venetian liqueur in purity after 48 hours of natural leavening. From the union of Italian confectionery art and the latest international trends comes the Dubai Style Chocolate Panettone: among the Limited Editions by the Veronese company Scarpato.

The appeal to regional tradition is also expressed through numerous creations. The Christmas cake signed by pastry world champion Luigi Biasetto for Palazzo di Varignana replaces butter with extra virgin olive oil; among the three 'Bolognese' versions, the limited edition with Don Carlo tea represents the most contemporary novelty, with a concentrated essence that releases floral scents of jasmine and white flowers.

Franco Ferretti offers the Pan d'Abruzzo made with olive oil and ingredients from Abruzzo, as well as the fillings orange and fondant; apple sultana and calvados; apricot and milk chocolate; pear and chocolate. Jacopo Pistone's Persi Pien pays homage to the Piedmontese classic with chocolate, peach and amaretto, while the Pasticceria Lorenzetti reproposes the Nadalin, the star-shaped cake symbol of Verona from which, according to legend, pandoro was born.Nicola Giotti presents the Panettone al vin cotto di fichi inspired by traditional Apulian sweets, while the Panettone Rosone pays homage to Giovinazzo Cathedral.
Starred chef Ada Stifani, with her"Pan de Ada" reinterprets one of the confectionary symbols of her territory: theCiaramicola, the Perugian sweet symbol of festivity and rebirth

Garofalo Farms debuts in the sector with the first panettone made with buffalo milk together with Domenico Manfredi, gold medal winner in the "Best Panettone in the World 2024" competition. Acetaia Giusti, which celebrates its 420th anniversary this year, could only propose the panettone with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Igp. Moving on to the world of specialty coffees, Simone De Feo presents the Mocha Panettone: a leavened product that combines cocoa and 100% Arabica coffee, part of a broader collection, where along with the classics, there are the Panettone Milano, Orange and Chocolate and Gianduia, Peach and Hazelnut, the Almond, Amarena and Lemon and the Bourbon Pandoro. It could only be Panettone Gelato (with a special packaging that allows it to be kept out of the fridge for a few hours) the proposal of Sottozero by Vincenzo Pennestrì, ambassador of Gelato in the world and president of the Italian Gelato Makers Association.
Infermentum celebrates its 10th anniversary with a box with three Christmas leavened cakes of 500 grams each in the three best-selling flavours: Traditional, Three Chocolate, Figs, Apples and Walnuts.

Riccardo Agugiaro, managing director of Agugiaro e Figna Molini, tells how panettone is driving the export of Italian confectionery around the world, a phenomenon comparable to what happened with Neapolitan pizza. "Artisan panettone is really exploding abroad, where until recently only the industrial products of the big Italian companies arrived,' he says. 'Today, everyone is producing 'their' panettone in their own countries, but the big international producers are copying withan Italian sounding at the limit of the brazen'.

Confirming its international success, Fiasconaro recently opened its first pop-up store in New York, bringing the Sicilian tradition of panettone to the heart of Manhattan and strengthening the brand's presence in the American market. The Sicilian maison continues its collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana by launching the Cioccopanettone all'Arancia di Sicilia, with cocoa dough and orange candied fruit, presented in cylindrical tins decorated with elements inspired by the Italian artistic tradition on a black background with golden details.

Even Dario Loison, which sells more than 65% of its production abroad in 70 countries, is focusing on a strategy of enhancing artisan talent in international markets, maintaining a high quality of production despite the increase in costs. Thanks to the licensing agreement signed with the Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation, the Marchesi Bakery is the official licensee of the Games and produces the Official Winter Olympic Panettone, Colomba, and Venetian cake, with consequent global visibility.

Italian sounding or not, panettone is by now a Christmas staple even in the East, as is evident from the testimonies collected by Sigep. "Christmas consumption is getting longer and the demand for bakery products is growing: panettone - said José Miguel Moreno, president of the Confederación Española de Pastelería - is more and more appreciated and the pistachio variant is the most popular. Families are buying in advance and online orders are increasing, which is changing the seasonality of our sector'.

According to the influential and award-winning American pastry chef Antonio Bachour, "Christmas trends show a return to traditional flavours, reinterpreted with modern techniques. Consumers are looking for crisp flavours, light textures and curated presentations. For Christmas 2025, we are working on sweets that combine elegance and memory, such as the Golden Hour trunk with chestnut, miso-caramel and spiced citrus, alongside proposals that reinterpret the classics with praline, dark chocolate, cranberry and toasted nuts.