Learning Global Marketing Through Italian Food, Language, and Culture
By Kelly Perasso
During the summer of 2025, I completed a marketing and product auditing internship with Italfoods in the Bay Area (CA). Italfoods is a leading food distribution company that supplies both domestic and internationally imported goods to supermarkets, delicatessens, and restaurants across the Bay Area. For more than forty years, the company has built a loyal customer base passionate about authentic Italian cuisine and quality ingredients.
The first major event I worked on as an intern was the Italfoods Specialty Food Fair, held at Fort Mason in San Francisco’s Marina District. The event brought together over ninety companies specializing in Italian food and beverage products from both the United States and Italy. Product buyers from stores and restaurants across the Bay Area attended to explore new brands and innovations for their businesses.
At the fair, I represented the Italian beverage company Galvanina, managing the product display and engaging with buyers to answer their questions. Working alongside professional sales representatives from around the world, many of them native Italians who had traveled specifically for the event, was a valuable experience that deepened my appreciation for international collaboration and the global reach of Italian food culture.
Left-Right: Kelly Perasso '26 Communication and Italian Studies Double Major, Mia Armanino '26 SCU Management Major, Giulia Oltranti (Italfoods)