Sustainability and innovation. Two concepts which, in the New Normal, no one in the world of Ho.Re.Ca. can afford to ignore, in Italy or abroad. That much is clear from the many examples of Italian manufacturing capable of fighting off competition, but also from some success stories in other countries, such as that of Groupe SEB (Société d'Emboutissage de Bourgogne). In recent months, partly due to the slowdown in activities and the search for ever smarter solutions, the French multi-national founded in 1857 by Antoine Lescure has gone one step further, forming an exclusive partnership with Angell, the smart bike project developed by Marc Simoncini and Jules Trecco a few years ago. The group will be in charge of the industrial development and production of the Angell bikes, which promise to be among the most lightweight available on the market, weighing just 13.9 kilos. They also offer integrated connectivity and cutting-edge safety innovations, to a large extent borrowed from the world of equipment. Features include a smart cockpit displaying useful information such as weather conditions, pollution levels, residual battery charge, cycling modalities, assistance with programmes, recommended speeds and even a GPS.

Green credentials and environmental production are also at the heart of a new range of products by another international concern: Zummo. Through the creation of a patented system, the Spanish multi-national has devised and developed a way of extracting fruit juice vertically, based on traditional methods. A real innovation capable of revolutionising the whole idea of juice extractors in locales, not only maximising the amount of juice obtained, but also helping to boost profits for bars, supermarkets and other shops in the post-Covid world. Machines of this kind can, for example, encourage consumer loyalty, or they can cash in on the boom in food delivery services, thanks to the launch of self-service juice extractors and accessories designed for the takeaway market. To say nothing of the fact that freshly-squeezed citrus fruit is one of the healthiest drinks there is, and that then gives a boost to the image of the locale. As architects and designers point out, if an establishment offers natural juices it gains a certain distinction as a forward-looking innovative place, especially if it also offers to bottle the juice in containers made of PET or glass.