TradeScope's Ted Horton visited the lunch! 2018 trade show on Friday 21 September at ExCel London.
The show was full of food producers for the "food and beverage to go" market in one large ExCel hall. The main categories were snack (sweet and savoury), retail-ready non-alcoholic drinks, bakeries, tea and coffee, coffee equipment, chilled desserts, ice cream and artisan biscuits. Offerings included conventional, gluten-free and organic options.
From his discussions with exhibitors, Ted found that the show was particularly strong for companies looking to sell into the foodservice market, such as coffee shops and delis. The show also attracted some buyers from mainstream supermarkets. For snack producers, the show could be a better forum than the Speciality & Fine Food Fair because it attracts a wider range of buyers, including foodservice and mainstream retail.
Roughly 70% of the show represented small food and beverage producers. Oddly enough, there were not many established brands at the show.
All in all, Ted found it an intriguing trade show. Contact him here if you'd like to have a deeper post-lunch! discussion.