In November 2019, Fox Communications hosted the first ever Istrian White Truffle Auction on behalf of the Istrian Tourist Board. The event raised £18,500 for three remarkable, life changing charities.
Held at private member’s club Harry’s Bar in Mayfair , all six lots were auctioned by Lord Harry Dalmeny himself, the Chairman of Sotheby’s, with the largest truffle of the season at 375g purchased by an anonymous London buyer. All monies raised went to London’s The Felix Project –(which delivers fresh food to over 300 London charities, making 6.5 million meals a year),Chain of Hope – (provides life-saving heart treatments) and the Veruda Day Care Center in Istria’s Pula, which provides rehabilitation for young children with disabilities.
For Istria Tourist Board, our objective was to position Istria as the undiscovered gem in Croatia. After developing a dynamic, multi-platform PR campaign which focused on Istria as a fine gourmet destination, we showcased how the destination is home to Croatia’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as being rich in produce for black and white truffles, wine and award-winning olive oils.
In 2019, our strategy was to target UHNW’s, highlighting Istria’s prized truffles, finally giving the region the gastronomic recognition they deserved. Istrian soil is ideal for these delicacies, and the unspoilt ground of the mystical forests and ribbons of riverbed provide sublime mineral-rich environments – particularly in the Motovun and Buzet Forests. Istria in fact holds the record for one of the largest truffles ever foraged at 1.31kg, and today, they can reach a value as high as 5,000EUR per kilo.
The event was attended by a mixture of UHNWI’s, members of Harry’s Bar, as well as top media for the Istria Tourist Board; the 70 handpicked guests dined on a four-course meal, each served with Istrian white truffle – under the expert direction of Harry’s Bar Luciano Porcu, and paired with the finest Istrian wines of Teran and Malvazija.