Some of Wales’ finest food and drink companies will attend the UK’s largest trade exhibition in Birmingham later this month. Over 1,500 exhibitors will attend the three day event, Food & Drink Expo at the NEC from Monday 16 April until Wednesday 18 April.

Twenty nine companies will be part of the Cymru / Wales stand, a number of which will be unveiling new and innovative products. These include Princes Gate, Mario’s Ice Cream, The Welsh Sausage Company, Halen Môn, Snowdonia Cheese, Pancake World, Plas Farm and the Authentic Curry Company. A number of producers will also be exhibiting as part of the Food and Drink Wales Showcase.

One company looking to use Food & Drink Expo as a platform to launch three new lines is Fori, whose Paleo-inspired, high-protein savoury meat snacks offer an alternative option to traditional snack bars.

The new 35g bars are available in three flavours – Pork with Smoky Bacon, Beef with Cracked Pepper and Chicken with Texas BBQ. All three bars contain 100% British grass fed, free range and outdoor reared meat and all sit at under 80 calories per bar whilst still being high in protein. They also have no added sugar and are free from gluten, nut and dairy.

Juliana Morgans of Fori said,

“Trade events such as Food & Drink Expo is an important opportunity for Welsh food and drink producers to showcase products to buyers and distributors and we are delighted to be part of this event.

“We are actually going to use the show to launch our three brand new lines which we are very excited about. We are hoping our bars will reignite the meat snacks category by pioneering the highest animal welfare standards and only using the finest natural, wholefood ingredients.”

Langford’s The Welsh Sausage Company will be introducing a new gluten free breakfast slice as well as their new gluten free products using lamb, beef and pork, which are due to be launched into schools in the UK on 1 April.

Commenting on the new products, John Langford of Langford’s The Welsh Sausage Company said,

“Every school that has sampled our grills and meatballs has taken them.  We have targeted 7 to 12 year olds with these products and they love them. They will be in over 8,000 schools in the UK from April, 2,000 of which are schools in Wales. This is a huge volume for us and a great opportunity to get school children back eating and loving lamb, which has not been on school menus for the last 4 years.

We think it will make a great impact on people buying lamb and feel that our gluten free products is the way forward.”

CK Food and Drinks Ltd are launching a new 250ml Stirfry sauce called That Style Sweet and Sour. Earlier this year they changed their curry pastes from glass jars to 2 x 65g sachets packaged in one big, bold cardboard sleeve, meaning a greater shelf presence, easier to store and gives the customer more flexibility on the amount of paste used.

Cwmfarm Charcuterie are launching two new products, including Cured Beef Hearts – a new collaboration with Welsh Chef Grady Atkins from Cardiff; as well as a Laverbread Salami covered in a Welsh Beeswax, again working with some Welsh Beekeepers to use the by-product of the honey bee which helps with packaging and shelf life.

Commenting on being part of the showcase, owner Ruth Davies of Cwmfarm Charcuterie said,

“We are very excited to be launching new products at Food & Drink Expo. Exhibiting at major events such as this gives us the opportunity to talk directly to buyers and we hope it will be a springboard for us as we aim to take the business forward.”

All Welsh 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.

The Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths said:

“I am delighted so many producers from Wales are attending this year’s Food & Drink Expo. This is a great opportunity to showcase some of the innovative products coming from Wales and shows how important Welsh food and drink is to the UK market.

"The Welsh Government will continue to support and celebrate the success of our producers as we continue to see the sector grow.”

On Monday and Wednesday morning between 10:15am – 11:00am at The Grocer Talking Shop Live at Food & Drink Expo there will be an opportunity to ‘Wake up with Wales’. Celebrate classic Welsh cuisine and sample the country’s exciting new tastes and flavours as food and drink broadcaster Nigel Barden introduces the Wales showcase.

Several Welsh companies, including Tomos a Lilford Brewery and Sabor de Amor will be taking part in the Dragon’s Pantry session, with a range of buyers.

Food & Drink Expo 2018 is the UK’s most progressive food and drink show, taking place on 16-18 April. Food & Drink Expo will run alongside Foodex, The Ingredients Show, National Convenience Show and Farm Shop & Deli Show. The UK Food shows attract buyers’ and decision makers from across the whole industry, who will converge to uncover the hottest trends, latest product launches and the industry’s vision for the future.

Come and visit the Cymru Wales stands L100, L110, M110, N100, P100 at Food & Drink Expo from 16-18 April 2018 for a range of new and innovative food and drink products. There will be an opportunity to meet with the Welsh producers exhibiting at a reception to be held on the main Wales stand on Tuesday 17 April at 5.00pm – with Nigel Barden, food and drink broadcaster.

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