Welcome to Episode 1692, a special episode from the ITA track series of the wine2wine Business Forum held in Verona in November 2023. Today’s guests are Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner of Canada and Dr. Craig de Blois, Wine Importer, President of Noble Estates Wine & Spirits Italian Wine Podcast is proud to be a media partner of wine2wine Business Forum and we are pleased to present this series of market focus sessions, recorded during the Forum held in Verona in November 2023. wine2wine Business Forum is an international wine business event, held annually in Verona, Italy since 2014. The event is a key annual reference point for wine producers and wine professionals from around the world, providing an opportunity to network, develop and expand their wine business worldwide. More about today’s guests: Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner of Canada Marco Saladini heads the Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver offices of the Italian Trade Agency, tasked with developing trade and investment relations between Canada and Italy in a wide range of industries, ranging from industrial machinery to food and wine. Marco has extensive overseas experience and holds a Master’s degree in Political Sciences and a Certificate in Emerging Markets. Connect: Instagram: @itatradegencytoronto, www.instagram.com/itatradeagencytoronto/?hl=en Twitter: @ITAToronto LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/itatoronto Website: www.ice.it Dr. Craig de Blois, Wine Importer, President of Noble Estates Wine & Spirits Craig de Blois purchased Noble Estates in 2013 and has helped grow the business to one of the leading agencies in the province of Ontario. He is also a partner in Noble Selection, a top agency in Quebec and is the founder of Howitzer Canadian Whisky. Craig is also a partner in Loup Blanc, a small winery in Minervois, France, as well as Promiscuo, a dynamic vineyard project in Prince Edward County. Prior to moving to Noble, he spent 10+ years managing Ontario sales and marketing for Lifford Wine and Spirits. Craig also spent many years on the Board of Directors of Drinks Ontario, the industry’s Importers Association. Craig attended Colgate University on an ice hockey and lacrosse scholarship and completed his MBA at The Schulich School of Business, with a focus on wine marketing and strategy. Prior to entering the wine industry, he spent 8 years working in banking, with UBS in Zurich, Brown Brothers Harriman in Boston and Luxembourg, and with Standard Bank in Johannesburg. Craig lives in Brooklin, Ontario, with his wife and their 3 children. When Craig is not traveling to the wine regions of the world, he enjoys coaching his kids hockey teams, golfing and skiing. Connect: Facebook: www.facebook.com/craig.d.blois/?locale=it_IT Instagram: @craigdeblois LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/craig-de-blois-94a68 Website: www.nobleestates.com _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ Facebook www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast Twitter www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast Tiktok www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin! Thanks for tuning in! Listen to more stories from the Italian Wine Community here on Italian Wine Podcast!