The Coop Report 2025 reveals a shift in Italian consumers towards “conscious sobriety,” driven by economic uncertainty and a focus on health (“fr-healthy”). This new pragmatism, prioritizing experience over possessions, challenges the wine industry to focus on quality and wine tourism rather than just volume, adapting to a “drink less, but better” mentality.
I studied this year’s Coop Report particularly well because I believe that trying to understand current consumption dynamics is crucial for getting an idea of what is happening and what might happen to wine consumption in the near future. And the Coop Report 2025 gives us a decidedly “revolutionary” image of Italian consumers.
The world is perceived as a chaotic and unpredictable place, and Italians are responding by fundamentally redesigning their lifestyles and consumption habits. The Coop Report 2025 is not just a market analysis, but the portrait of a transformation that can be defined as anthropological and which certainly marks the end of an era. The uncertainty generated by wars, geopolitical tensions, and climate change merges with internal economic difficulties, such as real income growing much slower than nominal income and the widespread feeling of being underpaid. The result is a consumer who is shelving carelessness and embracing a new pragmatism.
The new conscious sobriety: less waste, more value
If there is one word that defines the change, it is sobriety. Not a forced sobriety, but a conscious choice that translates into specific behaviors. 39% of respondents state they want to repair broken objects rather than replace them, and 38% want to buy only strictly necessary things. This marks a clear break with the throwaway consumer society. The “Game Over” mentioned in the report is not just a slogan: it is the realization that value no longer lies in ephemeral possession, but in durability and utility. This trend is also reflected in purchasing choices, where 42% of Italians indicate savings as their main guide, a necessity that becomes a virtue.
Food as medicine: the “fr-healthy” revolution
The shopping cart is where the revolution is most evident. Health is no longer an option, but the main driver guiding choices. Food is becoming “fr-healthy”: fresh, healthy, and increasingly functional. Volume sales of categories like exotic fruit (+55%), fermented milk (+27%), and Greek yogurt (+26%) are skyrocketing. Conversely, there is a progressive abandonment of ultra-processed foods. Italians read labels (71% do so regularly) and penalize products with too many additives. Attention to naturalness and short supply chains, where bees play a crucial role as bio-indicators of environmental health and guarantors of biodiversity, becomes an implicit selection criterion for an increasingly informed consumer.
In this scenario, a disruptive phenomenon emerges: the “pharma diet.” The use of GLP-1 based drugs for weight management is already a reality involving 5.6 million Italians, including users and those interested. This is a market destined to explode, which in 2030 could represent 9% of global drug sales and will further redesign eating habits.
And the world of wine? Between emerging signals and new awareness
The macro-trends of sobriety and health-consciousness inevitably have consequences for the world of wine, which must interpret the signals without falling into absolutist views. The data on the growth of “no-alcohol” products, which for wine shows a +31.3% increase in volume between 2022 and 2025, is an indicator not to be underestimated, but it must be read with the right perspective. This is a segment starting from an almost irrelevant market base, and its future will critically depend on the ability to offer a quality that is, on average, still low today.
Rather than imagining a fanciful mass conversion from traditional wines to de-alcoholized ones, the challenge for wineries is to understand and respond to the consumer’s changing approach. The trend towards sobriety translates into an orientation towards “drinking less, but drinking better.” The consumer reduces frequency but is willing to recognize superior value in those wines capable of telling an authentic story and offering a memorable experience. In this scenario, the most powerful strategic asset available to wineries becomes wine tourism. The visit to the estate, the guided tasting, the contact with the producer and the landscape are the perfect embodiment of that “experiential luxury” that 55% of Italians actively seek. It is here that wine can and must make the difference, transforming from a simple product into a vehicle for culture, territory, and sociality.
Experience is the new luxury
In a present that generates anxiety and fear, Italians seek gratification elsewhere. The real consumption becomes the experience. 64% of respondents feel more gratified by spending quality time with friends or family, and 55% by traveling. Conversely, only 7% find fulfillment in owning or displaying luxury products. Luxury shifts from having to living, a change that directly impacts the market, with the experiential sector expected to grow by 5% while personal goods slow down. It is the response to a deep need for meaning, authentic relationships, and inner well-being, in a world that has lost its certainties. The 2025 consumer no longer just buys a product; they seek a tool to build their own personal island of safety and happiness.
Key points
- The Coop Report 2025 signals an end to carelessness, replaced by conscious sobriety and pragmatism.
- Consumers prioritize health: the “fr-healthy” trend and functional foods are booming as label-reading increases.
- Wine faces a “drink less, drink better” mentality; no-alcohol growth (+31.3%) is a niche, but notable, signal.
- Experiential luxury replaces material goods; wine tourism becomes the key strategic asset for wineries.
