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The COVID emergency is changing the habits of Italians (as well as those of people around the world), including how they source and use essential goods.
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has disrupted the balance and routines of every sector. First and foremost, the agri-food sector — the only one (along with pharmaceuticals) that remains truly indispensable. Slower goods circulation within the EU has caused supply delays in stores. The closure of hotels, bars, restaurants, and catering establishments (the entire HORECA sector) has severely affected businesses, workers, and suppliers.
The current reopening is gradual and with reduced capacity. Many businesses may never reopen or will struggle financially, and consumers are also hesitant to dine out due to fears of infection. On the other hand, the fear of crowded places and contracting COVID has pushed people to look for ways to get supplies online and through home delivery services (e.g. food and wine delivery).
This is how many small local producers (like us, producing organic wines from Lazio) have had to reinvent themselves and adapt. Many, refusing to give up, took off their farmer or winemaker hat to become web managers, launching online shops (like our wine shop) or delivery staff to serve customers at home — especially those who can’t or shouldn’t leave home (because they’re in isolation).
At the same time, the huge sudden demand on large online grocery platforms and big delivery companies caused significant delays in order processing. So, step by step, consumers turned to smaller businesses — often local farms, zero-mile producers (like many organic farms in Tuscia and, more broadly, organic farms in Lazio). Despite challenges, small producers (such as many winemakers in Lazio) made every effort to meet this demand, communicate a quality service, and make it fast, safe, and efficient.
We at Trebotti, small organic wine producers in Lazio, also acted to counter the collapse in sales due to the HORECA crisis: we launched an online shop where you can discover and choose our organic wines and our sustainable sulfite-free wines, delivered to your door in Lazio or shipped across Italy and Europe (or simply with home wine delivery in Rome). There are packages and special offers, and you can also get a free vineyard tour and tasting voucher to use as soon as possible! The service is quick, and the site is fast and easy to use — giving you a chance to enjoy a moment of relaxation at your table with a good Lazio wine from among our best organic and sustainable Trebotti wines.
It’s true that this renewed connection between small producers and consumers came about because of the COVID emergency — an experience none of us wanted — but why not hope that this return to short supply chains might last even after the emergency is over?
