Campania's Chestnut and Marron District conquers Italy: production on the rise in 2025
Last year, the harvest increased by 5.26%, reaching approximately 351,000 quintals, demonstrating the resilience of the Southern Italian sector despite the challenges posed by climate change
Chestnut production in Italy experienced significant growth in 2025, with the Campania Chestnut and Marron District confirming its role within the national panorama. According to data from the Caserta Chamber of Commerce, the regional harvest reached approximately 351,000 quintals. The 5.26% increase compared with 2024 not only demonstrates the industry's ability to overcome the challenges posed by climate change, but also highlights the importance of an expertise that has matured across the entire value chain, from harvesting to distribution.
Campania's chestnuts take center stage in Italy
The know-how of Italy's agri-food industry leaders is deeply rooted in their territories and traditions. This knowledge from the past, combined with the innovations of the present and the future, has helped to create specialized industrial districts throughout the country, such as the Prosecco district or Campania's chestnut district.
The latter, in fact, plays a fundamental role in the national chestnut industry thanks to the characteristics of the valleys found in the region. Here, the agricultural industry can rely on high-quality crops that produce products recognized throughout the country.
In 2025, Campania accounted for 41.5% of total Italian production, which once again exceeded 80,000 tonnes, reaching 845,220 quintals, with a significant increase of approximately 31.4% compared with the previous year. This growth highlights Southern Italy's ability to improve through shared knowledge, enabling individual regions to establish themselves across the entire industrial landscape.
25% of Campania's chestnuts come from Caserta
Speaking of local excellence, it is impossible not to mention the Caserta chestnut district: with 87,750 quintals of chestnuts last year, it produced approximately 25% of Campania's total harvest, giving the region a leading role in the national sector.
This result comes alongside a slight increase compared with 2024 (87,600 quintals), despite the challenges posed by climate change. The 87,750 quintals demonstrate the industry's ability to cope with the high temperatures in October and the heavy rainfall in September 2025, which negatively affected chestnut maturation and shelf life, making production storage and stabilization more difficult. Environmental knowledge has been complemented by state-of-the-art agricultural technologies, creating a sophisticated industry that focuses not only on product quality but also on its preservation.
The value of the supply chain between tradition and know-how
The pursuit of excellence characterizes Italy's agri-food industry, which in 2025 recorded, according to ISMEA data, a record in exports, with a turnover in foreign markets estimated at €73 billion. This remarkable achievement reflects the Italian tradition of producing not only excellent products every day, but also that wealth of expertise typical of Made in Italy.
The country's industrial districts and supply chains continue to evolve, combining tradition and technological innovation, not only through startups and new technologies, but also through the work of artisans and professionals who contribute to creating products that combine efficiency and quality.
The Campania Chestnut and Marron District is one such example. Here, local specialization has become a distinctive element of the production system. Each stage of processing thus becomes a unique moment in which skills developed over time and knowledge of the raw material enable products to become defining elements of entire territories.
From Caserta to Giffoni: the agricultural soul of Campania
Campania can boast a rich history and agri-food industry, where the products have contributed to the region's story. The Caserta chestnut district fits within a context that also includes several areas known throughout the world. Traveling through the Campania region, as can be seen on the OpportunItaly District Map, from the coast to the inland areas, you can come across the hazelnut groves of Giffoni, the vineyards of Avellino and the world-famous lemons of Amalfi.
The supply chains present here contribute to the turnover of the entire area through 291 companies and 8,528 workers. All these professionals contribute every day to creating Italian excellence at every stage of the agri-food value chain, with business turnover reaching €3.648 billion. These are significant figures for the companies and individuals who have helped make Campania known worldwide through its products, as demonstrated by an export-oriented outlook that accounts for between 40% and 59% of total turnover.
Local districts around the world with OpportunItaly
The Campania Chestnut and Marron District demonstrates how an agricultural tradition rooted in small communities can generate new opportunities through organization, expertise, and the promotion of local excellence. The story of the region thus becomes an integral part of Made in Italy, which therefore deepens its roots not only in industry, but also in the people who are part of it.
For all the small and medium-sized businesses that want to expand this story into international markets, OpportunItaly was created to accompany Italian companies on their internationalization journeys, creating opportunities for visibility, connections, and development in foreign markets. Through its Business Matching services, companies can discover the best partners to integrate Italian excellence into their everyday operations. Discover what's new and join the program.
Sources
Caserta Chamber of Commerce – Chestnuts 2025
ISMEA
In summary
In 2025, Campania reached a production of 351,000 quintals of chestnuts, recording a 5.26% increase compared with the previous year and confirming the region's role in the national supply chain.
The Caserta area stands out as one of the leading districts in the sector, with 87,750 quintals harvested in 2025 and an established presence in Italian chestnut production.
The strength of the Campania Chestnut and Marron District stems from the connection between the territory, the environment, and agricultural knowledge passed down over time, which has built a supply chain based on the expertise of local communities.
Campania's chestnut sector continues to evolve through new approaches to enhancing the product, integrating tradition, food processing, and the industry's ability to adapt to change.
The district is an example of how local production can contribute to promoting Made in Italy, bringing the area's wealth of agri-food expertise and culture to international markets.
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