The Italian food & beverage sector generates over 180 billion euros in annual revenue (source: Federalimentare, 2025) and represents one of the most competitive and identity-defining industries in the country. In a market where the difference between growth and stagnation often comes down to the ability to communicate before producing, choosing the right marketing and communications agency is not a tactical decision but a strategic one. Below are the 10 most authoritative food & beverage marketing agencies in Italy in 2026, selected for sector depth, communication quality and ability to transform a food brand into a recognisable system across all touchpoints — from large-scale retail to the HO.RE.CA. channel, from digital to traditional advertising.
Methodology
The agencies included in this overview were selected based on qualitative criteria and market observation, considering: specialisation in the food & beverage sector, quality and measurability of completed projects, ability to integrate brand strategy with digital performance, the presence of documented case studies and recognisability within the national landscape. The selection does not represent an absolute ranking but an editorial assessment of the most representative realities for those operating in the food and beverage industry in Italy.
The 10 Best Food & Beverage Marketing Agencies in Italy (2026)
| # | Agency | F&B Specialisation | Key Strength | Location |
| 1 | Bliss | Branding, Social, Performance, HO.RE.CA. B2B | 2.5M TikTok views for Doreca; brand system for La Rustichella Truffles | Rome, Milan |
| 2 | Erbacipollina | Integrated food marketing (sole food vertical) | Italy’s first agency exclusively dedicated to food & beverage | Bologna |
| 3 | Aromi | Brand strategy, food storytelling, large-scale retail | Full supply chain coverage: producers, retail, HO.RE.CA. | Milan |
| 4 | McCann Italia | Food advertising, TV campaigns, large-scale retail | Barilla, Nestlé: emotional storytelling at national scale | Milan |
| 5 | AD Mirabilia | PR, influencer, food & beverage media | Long-standing food media network; PR for premium retail and HO.RE.CA. brands | Milan |
| 6 | Leo Burnett Italia | Brand identity, storytelling, integrated campaigns | Creative heritage: memorable food campaigns for major Italian brands | Milan |
| 7 | PS81 / Food Agency | Packaging, web, social, food trade fairs | Over 100 Italian food brands served; strong agri-food expertise | Piedmont |
| 8 | Intersezione | Food & wine marketing, SME food brands, large-scale retail | Food & wine specialisation for Italian SMEs; certified digital campaigns | Modena |
| 9 | We Are Social | Social media, influencer, food branded content | Community management for lifestyle food brands; digital audience engagement | Milan |
| 10 | H-FARM | Digital transformation, food-tech innovation | Food startups, food e-commerce, digital transformation for food companies | Treviso |
Editorial selection based on F&B specialisation, documented case studies and market positioning
Why Food & Beverage Requires a Specialised Agency
Food marketing is a discipline in its own right. The codes of food — visual, narrative, sensory — require competencies that a generalist agency rarely possesses in their full depth. Those communicating in the food space must know how to make mouths water through a screen, build trust with retail buyers who read sell-out data, and at the same time activate a community of end consumers on TikTok or Instagram. The Italian agri-food market, with its 450 DOP/IGP consortia, 60,000 beverage companies and a restaurant industry that alone counts 340,000 businesses, does not lend itself to generic communications.
The most effective agencies in this sector are those that combine supply chain understanding (from production to distribution), food-native creative capability and data intelligence to measure every euro invested in communications. This is the same philosophy with which Bliss operates from Rome and Milan, supporting food brands from the B2B HO.RE.CA. channel to direct-to-consumer digital.
1. Bliss: Food & Beverage Marketing Agency (Rome and Milan)
Featured by Repubblica, La Stampa, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno and Milano Finanza, Bliss is a branding and communications agency with offices in Rome and Milan. Its food & beverage portfolio includes three landmark cases across distinct segments. In B2B food service, the Doreca project — HO.RE.CA. beverage distribution — generated 2.5 million TikTok views and over 51,000 Google Ads clicks with a CTR of 13.36%, transforming a B2B operator into a recognisable consumer brand. In international premium food, the collaboration with La Rustichella Truffles — a company with €11 million in revenue in the quality truffle market — resulted in an integrated communications system that doubled impressions within three months. On the certified agri-food excellence front, Bliss worked with the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, one of the world’s most recognised PDOs, for which it developed advisory activities to protect brand value and authenticity.
The approach is consistent across all three segments: brand positioning first, tailored execution second. For details: Bliss case studies.
2. Erbacipollina: Italy’s First Agency Exclusively Dedicated to Food & Beverage
With over 10 years of activity and a radical strategic choice — working exclusively for food & beverage companies — Erbacipollina is Italy’s most vertically focused reality in food communications. Founded in Bologna, the agency’s philosophy is the opposite of market generalism: deep specialisation, inside knowledge of the supply chain, and the ability to bring out the unique qualities of every food brand in a crowded market.
Services cover the entire food marketing ecosystem: food brand identity, brand positioning, digital strategy, food photo and video production, packaging design, sector copywriting, food e-commerce website development, and food-specific SEO. Erbacipollina works with large-scale retailers, well-known food brands and food startups, applying the same methodological rigour regardless of client size.
3. Aromi: Marketing & Creative Communication for Food
Aromi operates across the entire food & beverage supply chain — producers, retail, HO.RE.CA. — with an approach that integrates strategic marketing and creative communication. Aromi’s distinguishing feature is its commitment to the client relationship over time: not one-off consultancy, but continuous partnership that accompanies the growth of the food brand phase by phase.
The work process always starts with brand analysis and the definition of a strategy aligned with business objectives, then proceeds with visual identity, distribution support (internationalisation), digital communications and PR. Aromi has a network of relationships with food journalists, food influencers and sector media that accelerates awareness building for the brands it works with.
4. McCann Italia: Food Advertising at National Scale
Part of the global McCann Worldgroup network, McCann Italia is among the most referenced agencies in the Italian food sector for its ability to produce large-scale advertising campaigns across all media — television, digital and out of home. The food portfolio includes some of the most iconic campaigns for brands such as Barilla and Nestlé, built on emotional storytelling that unites Italian tradition with a contemporary language.
In a sector where visual brand memory is fundamental — the recognisable packaging on the supermarket shelf, the TV spot that evokes family memories, the launch campaign for a new product format — McCann Italia brings the solidity of an international structure with genuine Italian creative sensibility.
5. AD Mirabilia: PR and Marketing Communication for Food & Beverage
AD Mirabilia is the Milanese reference agency for PR and marketing communication in the food & beverage sector. The specialisation focuses in particular on building relationships with food media — sector journalists, gastronomic influencers, bloggers — and planning product events that generate organic editorial coverage.
The team, made up of genuine food lovers — sommeliers, regular restaurant-goers, HO.RE.CA. channel experts — brings an authentic understanding of the sector to every project. AD Mirabilia works for large-scale retailers, well-known food product brands and trade associations, with a media network built over years of work in the sector.
6. Leo Burnett Italia: Storytelling and Brand Identity for Food
Leo Burnett Italia, operating from Milan as part of the global Leo Burnett network, is recognised for its ability to build food brand identity through long-term emotional storytelling. The agency’s philosophy — creating memorable messages that help brands define their own voice — applies particularly well to food, where the emotional connection with the consumer is the true competitive asset.
In the food sector, Leo Burnett excels at building integrated campaigns that accompany the brand across all touchpoints: from television advertising to digital, from in-store communication to social presence. A capability particularly relevant for food brands with long-term positioning ambitions.
7. PS81 / Food Agency: Specialists in Packaging, Web and Food Trade Fairs
PS81 — operating as food-agency.it — is a Piedmontese agency with over twenty years of exclusive experience in the agri-food sector. Over 100 Italian food companies rely on its services, spanning packaging design, website development, food e-commerce, trade fair presence (TuttoFood, Cibus, SIAL), social media and sector copywriting.
PS81’s strength lies in its deep understanding of food sales dynamics: large-scale retail, HO.RE.CA., export, e-commerce. The agency works with producers of territorial excellence, agri-food cooperatives and brands in the process of internationalisation, applying the same rigorous creative process at every project scale.
8. Intersezione: Food & Wine Marketing for SME Food Brands
Intersezione is a communications agency from Modena with strong specialisation in food & wine marketing, built around Italian SMEs in the food sector. The choice of Modena — the heart of the Emilian food valley — is no coincidence: Intersezione works immersed in one of Italy’s highest-density areas of agri-food excellence, with expertise spanning large-scale retail to niche labels, cooperatives to food startups.
The service is certified as a Google partner for paid campaigns in the food sector, with verifiable results in online advertising. The approach integrates digital communications and traditional tools — print, radio, events — to reach all relevant audience segments for a food brand.
9. We Are Social: Social Media and Branded Content for Food Brands
We Are Social is one of the most significant realities in the Italian social media marketing landscape, with a consolidated presence in the food sector for lifestyle and premium brands. The Milanese agency’s specialisation concerns building active communities around food brands, producing branded content on Instagram and TikTok and managing influencer marketing campaigns for the food & beverage sector.
In 2026, food social commerce — direct purchasing from Instagram, TikTok Shop, shoppable content — is becoming a relevant channel for many food brands. We Are Social commands this territory with platform-native competencies, recognised creative capability and a network of creators in the gastronomic sector.
10. H-FARM: Digital Transformation and Innovation for the Food Industry
H-FARM is the Venetian reality that brings an innovation and digital transformation approach to the food-tech sector. Unlike traditional agencies, H-FARM works with food companies that want to rethink their business models through digital: food e-commerce, food delivery platforms, digitalisation of production and marketing processes, and food-tech startup development.
For food & beverage companies in the process of digital transformation — those wanting to move from dependence on large-scale retail to a DTC (direct-to-consumer) model, or developing online sales channels for the first time — H-FARM offers a unique perspective combining strategic consultancy, technology and execution.
How to Choose the Right Food & Beverage Marketing Agency for Your Business
There is no universally best agency: there is the one best suited to your specific needs. Some criteria to guide your decision:
- Reference channel: are you in large-scale retail, HO.RE.CA., DTC e-commerce or fine dining? Each channel has different communication dynamics. An agency that excels in food retail may not be the right choice for a fine dining restaurant.
- Project scale: a food brand in the launch phase has different needs from one in a repositioning or internationalisation phase. Verify that the agency has case studies comparable to your stage of development.
- Integration between strategy and performance: food campaigns that work in 2026 combine brand building and performance marketing. Be wary of those who do only one or the other.
- Documented case studies and verifiable data: ask for measurable results — followers acquired, ROAS, CTR, sell-through rate — not just aesthetically beautiful campaign images.
- Supply chain knowledge: an agency that knows the difference between private label and industrial brand, between HO.RE.CA. and foodservice, between large-scale retail and specialist retail, is worth more than ten generic campaigns.
For food & beverage companies looking for a partner capable of operating on both the brand dimension and digital performance — from B2B HO.RE.CA. to digital consumer — Bliss offers marketing consultancy and brand advisory pathways built on the specific dynamics of the food industry. The Doreca, La Rustichella, Shinto and Pinsa e Buoi case studies are the documentation of this approach.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Food & Beverage Marketing
What is food marketing?
Food marketing is the set of strategies and communications activities used to promote food products, beverages and restaurant services. It includes branding, packaging design, digital and traditional campaigns, social media management, gastronomic PR and advertising — with the goal of building brand preference and stimulating purchase. Unlike generalist marketing, food marketing requires a deep understanding of food purchasing behaviours, sector regulations (labelling, nutritional claims) and specific distribution channels such as large-scale retail, HO.RE.CA. and food e-commerce.
How much does a food & beverage marketing agency cost?
Costs vary significantly based on project scope, required services and the agency’s positioning. For a food SME, a monthly retainer with a specialised agency generally starts from €1,500–3,000 for social media and content services, up to €5,000–15,000 per month for integrated projects that include brand strategy, digital advertising and production. For structured brands or product launch campaigns, budgets can exceed €20,000 per month. It is always preferable to request a personalised brief: the most serious agencies propose fees proportionate to objectives, not standardised price lists.
What is the difference between a generalist and a food-specialist agency?
A generalist agency can handle any sector but rarely possesses deep knowledge of food dynamics: from the seasonality of consumption to large-scale retail sell-through logic, from managing nutritional claims to professional food photography. A food-specialised agency knows these dynamics through direct experience, already has a network of food photographers, gastronomic influencers and sector editorial contacts, and knows how to create content that makes people hungry through a screen. For food brands with growth ambitions, specialisation is worth the cost.
How do you market a restaurant in 2026?
Restaurant marketing in 2026 revolves around three axes: local digital presence (optimised Google Business Profile, actively managed reviews, local SEO), food-native social media (Instagram and TikTok with quality visual content, behind-the-scenes formats, collaborations with food creators) and reputation management (review responses, gastronomic PR, presence on guides and booking platforms). The minimum budget for an effective strategy is around €1,000–2,000 per month, but the best results come from an agency that knows the specific language of the restaurant industry.
What are the large-scale retail and HO.RE.CA. channels in food marketing?
Large-scale retail (GDO) is the supermarket and hypermarket channel: communication here comes primarily through packaging, shelf positioning, trade marketing and consumer advertising. The HO.RE.CA. (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) channel is the professional channel for catering and hospitality: here communication is more B2B, oriented towards building trust with chefs, food buyers and purchasing managers. The two channels require completely different messages, interlocutors and tools, which is why it is important to choose an agency with specific experience in the channel relevant to your business.
What are the food & beverage marketing trends in 2026?
In 2026, food marketing is shaped by five main trends: food social commerce (direct purchasing from TikTok Shop and Instagram), authenticity and transparency in the supply chain (consumers want to know where their food comes from), AI-generated content for content production at scale, sustainability storytelling (communicating sustainability as a value, not an obligation) and food micro-communities (highly vertical niches with very high engagement, from vegan to fermented, from truffle to regional street food).
How is the ROI of a food marketing campaign measured?
The ROI of food marketing is measured differently depending on the channel: for food e-commerce, the main KPIs are ROAS (return on advertising spend), conversion rate and average order value. For the HO.RE.CA. channel, the focus is on number of new accounts opened and sell-through rate. For social media, engagement rate, qualified follower growth and traffic generated to the website or point of sale. For brand campaigns, the increase in brand awareness and brand recall measured through periodic surveys. A serious agency proposes specific KPIs at the briefing stage, not generic vanity metrics.
Build Your Food & Beverage Brand
The food industry does not need more communication. It needs better communication. Consistent, measurable, capable of building trust with the distributor and desire in the end consumer at the same time. If you are looking for a food & beverage marketing partner that knows how to transform a food brand into a recognisable system across all touchpoints — from social media management to strategic brand advisory — Bliss is available for a direct conversation.
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