The project in the United States is a difficult and ambitious approach for Roncadin, an Italian producer of high-quality frozen pizzas situated in Friuli. A few months ago, the company, which is managed by the same family, inked an agreement with Intesa Sanpaolo for a new loan of 14 million euros with a guarantee from Sace for an internationalization project through the US subsidiary Roncadin Holding Usa Corp. These include the purchase and restoration of a Chicago plant as well as the installation of a new line to produce and distribute frozen pizzas in the North American market. "The goal," says Dario Roncadin, the group's CEO, "is to establish a second production base on the other side of the world. The Chicago facility will be built in the same style as ours in Meduno (Pordenone province): two twin and interchangeable structures. In the early aftermath of the pandemic, the skyrocketing cost of containers threatened our business, as well as the businesses of all others who carry goods over the ocean." "Strengthening the North American market has become a priority," Roncadin says. "the US market, it is critical to produce locally: for example, in Europe, pizza and frozen meals are worth 3.5 billion, whereas they are worth 5.5 billion in the US. We currently have good relationships with the most important large-scale merchants in the United States, which will expedite our integration."