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Is a Global MBA in Food and Wine in Your Future?

Imagine immersing yourself in the fabulous world of international food and wine...and getting paid to do it. While this may sound like a delectable dream, it can be your future reality -- with that right training, that is. One of the best ways to secure an executive position in the competitive culinary world? By getting an MBA in Food and Wine. Here’s a closer look at three reasons to get a degree in this field, along with one particularly appetizing program.

Jun 16, 2017
  • Student Tips
Is a Global MBA in Food and Wine in Your Future?
Credit: Bologna Business School

Imagine immersing yourself in the fabulous world of international food and wine...and getting paid to do it. While this may sound like a delectable dream, it can be your future reality -- with that right training, that is. One of the best ways to secure an executive position in the competitive culinary world? By getting an MBA in Food and Wine. Here’s a closer look at three reasons to get a degree in this field, along with one particularly appetizing program.

Three Reasons to Get an MBA in Food and Wine

“Food and Wine” may not be the first specialization that comes to mind when you think of MBA degrees, but it’s definitely the most delicious. However, dig a bit deeper and you’ll find plenty of promising reasons to consider going into this area, including the following three:

1. The market is HUGE.

Food and wine may seem like leisure pursuits, but they’re also big business. In fact, according to market research from Plunkett, the total value of the global food and agricultural industry reached a staggering $8 trillion in 2016. According to Investopedia, meanwhile, the food and beverage sector accounts for as much as 20 percent of the global economy.

Credit: Bologna Business School

2. It’s international in nature.

You might think of big-name, multi-national corporations when you think of food and beverage businesses, but the figures may look a bit different than you’d expect. According to a breakdown from global consultancy and research firm Frost & Sullivan as shared by Investopedia, “By 2014, the largest portion of the retail revenues for food and beverage sales took place in the Asia-Pacific region ($5.1 trillion). Following that region were Middle East/Africa ($3.3 trillion), Europe ($3.0 trillion), Latin America ($2.2 trillion) and North America ($1.5 trillion).” When you think of it in terms of population distributions, however, it makes more sense.

In addition to the booming food and beverage scenes in developed countries, Investopedia points to a different trend currently underway: “The food and beverage sector has blossomed under the development of emerging markets in India, China, Brazil and other portions of Africa, South America, and Asia. Developing countries are slowly giving way to rising middle classes, which can now indulge in the kinds of dining experiences once only enjoyed in the developed world.”

In other words, if you’re looking for a career with the potential to give you a taste of what life is like all over the globe, an MBA in Food and Wine may be a perfect fit.

3. It’s got plenty of challenges...and rewards, too.

The food and wine industry is anything but static, and significant evolution is anticipated in the years ahead. But what, specifically, is expected?

Says Forbes contributor Cathy Huyghe, who recently taught a class at the University of Bologna Business School (BBS) for its Food and Wine MBA program, “They will face the challenge, for example, of more nuanced global integration. They will face the challenge of developing business savvy, especially one that complements and counterbalances the romanticized notions of “craft” and “artisanal” that are so popular right now. They will face the challenge of navigating the waters of unexplored or under-understood oceans of opportunity. And they will face the challenge of doing all of that one day, one conversation, and one tweet or post at a time.” And, like many big industries, the food and beverage sector is looking to innovate and develop strategies that address issues of sustainability and responsible production. All of this is hard work, but it’s also uniquely exciting.

Introducing BBS’s MBA Food and Wine

Credit: Bologna Business School

Want to be a guiding force in moving the food world forward? Bologna Business School’s MBA Food and Wine offers an inside edge to a successful care in this dynamic area. Starting with its plum location in one of the world’s most consummate culinary country’s meal-time meccas (you don’t get the nickname “City of Food” for nothing), and continuing throughout its innovative curriculum, the MBA in Food and Wine is designed to develop leaders and entrepreneurs who will drive growth and internationalization for companies in the food and beverage sector.

This 12-month, full-time program begins with an overview of general management before moving onto specialized subjects. All classes -- spanning the “usual suspects,” such as corporate finance and management consulting to the unexpected and immediately relevant, such as Food Culture and Sustainable Tourism and Innovation and Narration in Food and Wine. The best part? Course are led by esteemed international faculty, as well as guest lectures, managers, Michelin-star chefs, and industry experts.

Credit: Bologna Business School

Meanwhile, site visits, internships, and entrepreneurial work projects all help students get the real-world experience they need to make change in the world. This, too, covers a massive amount of territory. For example, while one alumnus tells of using the knowledge of the Italian food and wine industry to work for a chain of restaurants while planning to eventually open his own business, another credits her career in the wine industry to the global immersion she experienced at BBS. These connections, insists alumna Deanna D’Alfonso, will not only stay with her throughout her career, but will help her “understand the synergies in culture and business.”

Consider a recent visit to BBS by enogastronomic journalist and editor of L’Espresso’s Food&Wine section Eleonora Cozzella, who advised students “to follow this path only if you have an absolute vocation for food and wine.” Continued Cozzella, “Even before the managerial side a great passion must prevail for everything.” The takeaway? Whether you’re dreaming of opening a restaurant or of helping to feed people on a more global level, if you’re passionate about food and ready to leverage that passion into a vibrant career in a red-hot industry, look no further than BBS and the MBA in Food Wine.

Credit: Bologna Business School

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Joanna Hughes

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Joanna worked in higher education administration for many years at a leading research institution before becoming a full-time freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful White Mountains region of New Hampshire with her family.

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