There are trade fairs where you simply occupy a stand. And then there are those where you realize you are exactly where you belong.
Codeway Expo was the latter.
Three days in Rome, from May 13 to 15, at Fiera Roma. Italy’s leading platform dedicated to international development cooperation, bringing together institutions, NGOs, companies, embassies, and international organizations under one roof, united by a common goal: not simply to exchange handshakes, but to understand how to work together in a meaningful and effective way.
Day 1 | Wednesday, May 13: Between Institutions and Inspiration
The morning of May 13 opened with a clear signal: an institutional session featuring Deputy Ministers, presidents of major industry associations, and leading players from Italy’s agri-food sector. It quickly became evident that this was far more than a niche event.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to an operational panel on the role of the private sector in development cooperation: financing mechanisms, funding opportunities, and digital ecosystems for measuring impact. Practical discussions, grounded in real numbers and tangible solutions.
For us, it felt almost like a roadmap, a blank canvas on which the partnerships and alliances we hope to build were beginning to take shape.
Day 2 | Thursday, May 14: Our Turn to Speak
May 14 was our day.
At the Codeway Arena, we hosted a panel with a title that left no room for ambiguity:
"From a fuel that was destroying the future to one that nourishes it: is it possible? Koalisation answers."
The answer, of course, is yes.
But getting there means telling a story that begins in Zambia, with communities cooking over charcoal, breathing toxic smoke every day, and relying on a resource that drives deforestation. It ends here, with a business model that proves it is possible to create a successful company while generating measurable, lasting impact.
We talked about clean cooking, agroforestry, carbon credits, and communities. About how every Koalisation project is not greenwashing, but a measurable, certified, and transparent system.
We talked about honey as the symbol of a value chain that truly works.
The audience was exactly the right one: curious, diverse, and made up of people from different worlds businesses, institutions, NGOs but connected by the same common thread: understanding how to create value that lasts over time.
Day 3 | Friday, May 15: Honey Reaches FAO and Beyond...
The morning of May 15 hosted one of the most significant moments of the entire conference: the plenary session on the Italy-FAO partnership and the results of the Food Coalition.
On stage were some of the most influential voices in international cooperation, from FAO and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) to Maurizio Martina, FAO Deputy Director-General, who closed the session with a clear call to action: local food systems are not a romantic utopia. They are the next major frontier of international cooperation.
Shortly after the panel, Maurizio Martina stopped by our stand.
He tasted our honey. He listened to the story behind it: what it means for the communities that produce it, how it fits into a broader system of environmental regeneration and local development, of clean cooking initiatives, and of communities that are not passive recipients of aid but active participants in a model that generates measurable impact.
There are moments when you realize that the work you do when told well and shared in the right place resonates.
That was one of those moments.
But what do we take home from all this?
Over the course of three days, we met representatives from FAO, the UNOPS Rome Liaison Office, the World Food Programme, and the Embassy of Zambia in Italy. We also connected with companies, NGOs, embassies, startups, and researchers.
Every conversation opened a door. Some of those doors are already being crossed.
Tired legs, minds full of ideas, and one conviction stronger than ever: the world of international cooperation is not separate from business.
In truth, it never has been. We just haven't always said it out loud.
We do.
And that's exactly why we were there.