Innovative Welsh producers to feature at UK’s flagship food and drink trade exhibition

Twelve Welsh food and drink companies are preparing to attend the UK’s largest and most well respected food and drink trade exhibition. Over 1200 exhibitors will be present at Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham next week (25-27 April 2022), all looking to find new buyers and distributors.

Supported by the Welsh Government, the Cymru/Wales stand, will this year feature 12 companies all looking to showcase their mouth-watering products and embed Wales’ place firmly on the food map.

The three-day event, which is held at the NEC in Birmingham is a biennial event, but due to the Covid pandemic the last event was in 2018.

All Welsh food and drink companies exhibiting under the Cymru/Wales brand receive support from the Welsh Government, which enables them to have a presence at trade events such as Food & Drink Expo.

Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd said: “Our support allows producers to attend events such as Food & Drink Expo.  It provides them with an excellent opportunity to interact directly with buyers and distributors and showcase the very best of Wales.”

“Through long term vision and effort over the last decade we have achieved significant growth, a rising industry profile, and a strong team spirit based on partnership which has given us a firm foundation to build upon for the future.”

Welsh producers exhibiting will include Aber Falls Distillery, Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits, Daioni Organic, Dylan’s, Llaeth y Llan/Village Dairy, Mario’s Ice Cream, Princes Gate Water Ltd, Terry’s Patisserie, Anglesey Sea Salt Company/Halen Môn, The Welsh Sausage Company Ltd, Ty Nant and South Caernarfon Creameries.

Princes Gate will be introducing their 100% recycled and recyclable 500ml flat cap bottle single serve and multi-packs, as well as their new branded glass range in 330ml and 750ml still and sparkling.

Commenting on being part of the Food & Drink Wales delegation, Juliana Morgans from Pembrokeshire based Princes Gate said, “We are very excited to be back exhibiting again alongside the many wonderful food and drink brands of Wales. We look forward to welcoming new and existing customers onto our stand and the opportunity to showcase our newly designed glass range. Additionally, after launching ‘our greenest bottle ever’ in 2021, made 100% from recycled plastic (excluding cap and label), it will be great to bring sustainability back to the forefront and promote the importance of using recycled and recyclable plastic within our range.”

Another of those exhibiting will be Caerphilly based Terry’s Patisserie Ltd who will be launching their brand to the consumer. Previously only catering professionally for an array of top end hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality venues, they will be showcasing their luxury pre-wrapped gateaux bar slices and afternoon tea patisseries.

Commenting ahead of the event, Rhys Williams, Business Development Director said,

“Food & Drink Expo will be a fantastic chance to launch our two new afternoon tea selection boxes. It will help re-establish face to face connections with the industry and to showcase that Terry’s are not only still around post-Covid but we are expanding with ambitious growth plans.”

Mario’s Ice Cream will be launching a range of scooping 4.7 litres ice cream in a variety of flavours to include their new signature Welsh ice cream which consists of a rum flavoured ice cream with bara brith pieces and a luxury caramel sauce; Snickerone (peanut butter flavour ice cream with a smooth caramel ripple finished with peanut and chocolate pieces); Cookie Dough (biscuit flavoured ice cream with cookie dough, choc chip pieces swirled with a delightful cookie dough ripple); Biscoffi (award winning dairy Vanilla ice cream, rippled with biscoff sauce and biscoff crumb; Gingerbread (a gingerbread flavoured ice cream with ginger bread ripple and a delicate biscuit crumble).

Mario Dallavalle, Managing Director at Mario’s Luxury Ice Cream said, “By attending Food & Drink Expo we hope to be able to showcase that we are the best ice cream company in Wales and we only use the finest quality ingredients. We would like to attract new business from all of the UK and hope this event will help us achieve this.”

Food & Drink Expo takes place this year from the 25-27 April 2022 at Birmingham’s NEC, bringing together buyers and decision makers across the whole industry, from grocery, food service, wholesale, manufacturing and speciality retail markets, offering both UK and overseas suppliers an excellent route to market.

Food & Drink Expo will run alongside four complementary shows – Farm Shop & Deli Show, Food & Drink Expo, the National Convenience Show and the Forecourt Show.

Come and visit the Cymru/Wales stands L140, P140 and Q140 at Food & Drink Expo for a range of new and innovative food and drink products.