Speciality-Food-Magazine-September-2024

59 specialityfoodmagazine.com INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION PITCHLIVE WITH IND!E ANDOCADO Speciality & Fine Food Fair has announced an exciting new partnership with IND!E and Ocado, providing two innovative food and drink brands with the opportunity to secure a listing with the online supermarket. Open to producers exhibiting at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2024, Pitch Live will see brands take part in a Dragon’s Den -style live pitch on the Fair’s Talking Trends stage, before one food brand and one drinks brand are declared the winners. The two winning brands will secure a listing on Ocado through the IND!E partnership. The IND!E shop-in shop at Ocado will be a dedicated space to showcase a curated selection of innovative products from emerging brands, offering customers a unique shopping experience and giving SMEs the chance to reach a wider audience. Hannah McKillop, marketing manager at IND!E, comments: “We’ve decided to partner with Speciality & Fine Food Fair again for 2024 because it aligns perfectly with our mission to connect with and support high-quality, innovative brands and help them get into retail. “The Fair provides a unique platform for emerging brands to showcase their products to a diverse and engaged audience, fostering brand awareness and loyalty. Additionally, our past collaborations have proven successful, and it has been fantastic to work with the winner of Pitch Live last year in bringing their products to UK consumers.” Freya O’Mara, trading manager, pantry and speciality foods at Ocado Retail, says, “We are incredibly excited to be part of Pitch Live at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2024. This event is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the most promising and innovative food and drink brands. “At Ocado and through our partnership with IND!E, we are passionate about bringing our customers the best and most unique products available, and Pitch Live allows us to discover and support the next generation of standout brands. We look forward to seeing the creativity and quality that this year’s participants will bring to the table.” In a year packed with meaningful anniversaries, French confectionery brand Pierro Gourmand will be marking 100 years of its iconic ice cream at this year’s edition of Speciality & Fine Food Fair. The company is one of many quality international brands from around the world taking part in the Fair, with everything fromBelgian chocolates to Georgian honey to tropical fruit from Thailand on offer for visitors to source and sample. Buyers will also have the chance to meet with Cherky Foods, a Spanish brand offering a range of products including beer jerky, keto bars and vegan, plant-based jerkymade from mushrooms. Monatea, a South African brand, will be showcasing its range of exquisite organic Rooibos-based botanical and functional beverages available in three distinct flavours. Monatea is deliciously unsweet, zero- sugar and zero-sweetener cold-brew Rooibos and botanicals. Füqboi is the world’s first sex positivity beverage, while Victory Jüs is a better-for-you energy drink with guayusa for all the flow and zero jitter. TALKINGTRENDS ATTHEFAIR Industry leaders fromWaitrose, Macknade, Ocado and more will be taking to the stage for the Fair’s 2024 seminar programme, which each year is a must-attend for retailers and hospitality professionals to keep on top of the latest trends and innovations in the world of speciality food and drink. The Drinks Uncovered stage will be playing host to a wide range of talks and demos centred around the drinks sector. Sarah Stewart, sake wine and cheese Educator at West LondonWine School, will be discussing pairings of sake and cheese and the delicious synergy rooted in the power of umami, while Cibare Food & Drinks Magazine editor-in-chief Eve Tudor will be hosting a discussion of the world of low and no. A panel moderated by Ruth Dolby, director at Food Science Fusion will see Richard Enion, director at ENRICHD, Darwin Fletcher, founder and creator of Quirky Monkey and Zain Peer, co-founder of London Nootropics delving into the world of mushroom-based drinks and the rise of nootropics, adaptogens and functional beverages. The Talking Trends stage, in partnership with the European Union, will host a comprehensive programme of content covering everything from the latest speciality retail trends to hot new ingredients to topics such as DEI, empowering retail teams and consumer perceptions of ultra-processed foods. Priya Narain, purpose and culture manager at KERB and panellist for ‘Diversity: More than just ticking boxes’, says: “Joining this important debate is crucial to me because DEI is the backbone of a thriving, innovative industry. It’s more than a tick-box exercise – it’s about fostering an environment where diverse voices lead to richer, more creative outcomes for everyone.” Lizzie Haywood, innovationmanager at Waitrose & Partners will be kicking off the Fair’s content programme with a presentation on the key ingredients and cuisine trends that are shaping the speciality food and drink sector. She comments, “I am really excited to be speaking at Speciality & Fine Food Fair again this year, it is one of my favourite trade shows of the year with so many innovative brands showcasing their products.” Leading industry voices including Andrew Goodacre of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), Emma Mosey of the FarmRetail Association and Fine Food Digest ’s Michael Lane will be taking to the stage to discuss what independent retail should be asking of the new Labour government, and key areas of campaigning for the industry. Award-winning author and presenter Jenny Jeffries will be joined onstage by Hawksmoor general manager TomFoxwell, The Happy Pear founder Stephen Flynn and Claire Mackenzie, producer of the documentary Six Inches of Soil , to discuss the pros and cons of independent retailers and hospitality businesses working with regenerative farms.. DTM PRINT Personalised chocolate and biscuits are a real eyecatcher for weddings, corporate hospitality and other events. With Eddie, a direct-to-food printer with edible ink, you can print full-colour photos, logos, designs and text onto sweets, marshmallows, white chocolate and all kinds of baked goods. Eddie prints directly onto the surface of food, eliminating the need for icing sheets and avoiding any aftertaste or added texture that could compromise the quality of the food. Certified edible ink, stainless steel housing and easy-to-clean components make Eddie the safest direct-to- food printer designed for food processing environments. By offering branded and bespoke products this printer opens up new profits for chefs, keen hobbyists, caterers and hotels alike. DTM Print will showcase Eddie at Speciality & Fine Food Fair. dtm-print.eu JUST GOURMET FOODS Just Gourmet Foods has been delighting fine food retailers with its carefully curated range of authentic Italian foods since 2018. The team specialises in partnering with artisanal producers to bring the best of Italian food to discerning fine food retailers’ shelves across the UK. Just Gourmet Foods is inspired by the skill and dedication of artisans across Italy to import and distribute a rich variety of foods to the speciality food sector weekly, from oils and vinegars to snacks, baked goods and other authentic Italian ambient products. justgourmetfoods.co.uk DRIVERS PICKLES Drivers Pickles delight in the art of personalised gifting with their latest offering - the Customisable 4 Jar Gift Box. Drivers invite you to handpick from their exquisite selection of 350g jars, each brimming with flavour and age old family recipes. Whether it’s the zesty tang of classic pickles, the rich depth of savoury relishes, or the sweet allure of artisanal chutneys, you can create a bespoke gift containing any 4 of your Drivers best sellers. Presented in an elegantly designed, shelf friendly stackable box, it’s the perfect foodie gift for any time of year but especially during the festive season. Come and sample their award winning premium pickles, relishes and chutneys at SFFF Stand 2608 or contact press@pickle-lovers. co.uk to order your bespoke gift box. pickle-lovers.co.uk STAG BAKERIES Based in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, Stag Bakeries is a family- run bakery with a heritage dating back to 1885. Traditional recipes and time-honoured methods remain at the heart of every product their skilled craft bakers make. The result is a product range trusted on quality and provenance. Stag’s signature product is its Seaweed Water Biscuits. Named Best Scottish Speciality Product in 2013, the product pairs a classic water biscuit recipe with a blend of three seaweeds to provide a truly unique flavour full of character. A great option for canapés, this biscuit provides a delicious platform for fantastic snacking combinations. sales@stagbakeries.co.uk stagbakeries.co.uk STAND 3148 STAND 2608 STAND 1501 STAND 1460