The link between Strabucks and Italy becomes increasingly tighter. It is not only the upcoming opening in Piazza Cordusio and the rumours of a possible stop in Turin to bring these two companies closer together, a leading role is being played by the recent collaboration between the most famous coffee and catering brand in the world and Clabo, a leading global company in the sector of professional display windows for ice-cream parlors, patisseries, bars, cafes and hotels. The agreement between the company led by Pierluigi Bocchini and Starbucks Asia opens a door to the East, the market that records the highest growth rates for the US coffee giant. "The collaboration with Starbucks Asia - explains Bocchini - is the result of 18 months of work and closes a very positive semester for our company." Clabo has developed 4 models of showcases with 2 variants for each model for a total of 8 versions. The commercialisation will begin by November and the value of the agreement should be around 1.5 million dollars. President, how was the agreement signed with Starbucks Asia and what opportunities does it offer for Clabo? The window design was generated as a result of the interest by the US company in our products. We were very pleased and from here a constant dialogue took place, which over the course of a year and a half led to the agreement and to a product that fully responds to the customers request. In Asia, Starbucks has 8,000 points of sale, 3,000 only in China (which is not currently part of the agreement). Here we find the highest rate of openings, two branches - that of Hong Kong and China - have a large amount of autonomy. For us it is a customer that performs very highly in service and quality, and this gives us alot of satisfaction: it is a sign that our strategy of bringing production closer to sales markets, while keeping design in Italy, is bearing fruit. Starbucks has arrived in Italy. How will it be accepted and what are the margins for collaboration? We hope that the agreement with Starbucks Asia is the first step towards a growing collaboration with the US company. It is a brand that goes far beyond a cafeteria and has as its main competitor Mc Donald's. Italy is a very tempting market and it is possible to imagine that the US proposal will use, in some way, typical Italian characteristics. A few years ago, during a meeting at the offices of Starbucks, I met Howard Schultz who told me about the fundamental role played by Italian coffee in the success of his chain. The idea of the Starbucks model, in fact, was born right after a visit to Italy. I like to think that the arrival in Milan of the most famous coffee shops in the world is for Schulz a way for the brand to reconnect to its origins, right now as it is preparing to leave the previous guide. It has anticipated an increase in revenues in the first half of 2018 by 22% more than in 2017 (to around € 31 million). Which elements has brought Clabo to these results? 70% of the increase in revenues is due to the recent acquisition in the United States, relating to the company Howard McCray. We are one of the few companies that can count on a production capacity in three continents. The US office month after month has recorded growth on the production front. In Europe, however, we are witnessing a crisis of confidence that has led to a slowdown in activities. It is not only Italy that has suffered, but most of the countries of the Old Continent, with the exception of Germany. The Asian market, on the other hand, has suffered partly from the US-China tariff war, but the growth of Southeast Asia is very strong. What are the expectations for the 2nd semester? It will still be the US that will drive our results even if the uncertainties about the future of Quantitative Easing continue to persist.