Proposed by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada as another initiative aimed at continuing its double mission of promoting and developing bilateral economic relationships between Italy and Canada, the "Benevento-Canada Program" was formalized thanks to the efforts of the Province of Benevento, looking to strengthen the social-cultural ties and promoting business opportunities of companies from Sannio in Quebec.

The initial biennial ITACA project in 2007, which matched Canadian companies with counterparts from the regions of Veneto and Campania within the framework of bilateral exchange and training for young Canadians of Italian origin, was completed in July 2010. The objective of this initiative was to establish a favourable basis for trade, in order to propel Benevento towards internationalization by creating new niches for their agri-food and tourism markets.

Project phases:

• Selection of candidates
  
  
• Training of candidates
  
  
• Project work
  
  
• Study tour in Benevento
  
  

1) Selection
The participants of Project Benevento were selected by the Italian Chamber of Commerce, with the assistance of Anna Maria Buondonno Maturi, consultant of the Region Campania for the migration in Canada and President of the Association Sanniti in Canada.

Six young students and professionals, with family origins from Benevento, were selected from the batch of candidates. They distinguished themselves by demonstrating a high degree of motivation, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a marked interest for international relations.

2) Training
At the beginning of the project, the participants undertook a six week training program, for a total of 30 hours, which focused on many current issues such as: international trade and marketing, the Italian political, economical, social and technological systems as well as Italy’s influence on international affairs around the world.

3) Project work
In the second stage of the program, the candidates worked on a real case project: each of them analyzed a business case and prepared a report on the business opportunities for an agri-food company from Benevento in Canada, focusing on the issues of import and distribution.

Among the conclusions in the report, the students noted that the greater awareness of the importance of a healthy diet has exponentially increased the demand for ethnic and biological products. In fact, Canadian consumers are more careful about their nutrition and are looking for healthier foods, with less fat, in smaller portions, typical of the Mediterranean diet. Italian food producers are adapting themselves to these new demands from the Canadian market while at the same time preserving their traditional manufacturing process.

4) Study tour
After their case study, four students travelled to Benevento to meet with firms from Sannio and to present their project, aimed at exporting the companies’ products on the Canadian market.

This initiative encouraged commercial and cultural exchanges between Quebec and Benevento, while highlighting the traditions and the territory of « Sannio ».

During their stay in the province, these young "ambassadors" also had the opportunity to visit the city of Benevento and its historical center, as well as the towns of Cusano Mutri and Cerreto Sannita, in order to appreciate the history, the mystical landscapes, and discover the local traditions and cultural folklore of their ancestors.

Furthermore, the students prepared a comprehensive report on Canadian tourism to Italy. The report underlines the new trend which presents travelers interested in alternative destinations, besides the great Italian cities of art. This tendency is based on the high number of tourists who "return" to Italy, having already visited the classical cities of art, and who are searching new destinations to explore. This creates new opportunities for agri-tourism, as well as « culinary tours » and « wine and tasting tours », which are trips to wineries offering wines and local produce tastings.

Success of the project