Showcasing exciting new innovations from across the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sector continues to win lunch! a loyal following among thousands of food-to-go buyers.
This year’s record-breaking edition (featuring more new products, more exhibitors, more speakers and more seminars) will be its biggest in every respect. Attendance is also expected to be up (over 7,000), with its annual visitors regularly including major high-street operators, convenience stores, supermarkets and contract caterers like Tesco, McDonald’s, Subway, Sainsbury’s, Greggs, M&S, KFC, Boots, Costa Coffee, Waitrose, Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Caffè Nero, Co-op, Aldi, Ocado, WHSmith, Nisa, McColls, Spar, BP, SSP Group, Compass Group, Sodexo and Aramark among many others.
These titans of retail, foodservice and hospitality play a vital role in bringing the best new food-to-go brands and innovations to eager consumers (the fast-growing FTG market is set to be worth £23bn by 2022, according to MCA and HIM[1]) and they’ll find plenty for their customers at the show this autumn. Including (but not limited to): coffee, tea, soft drinks, sweet and savoury snacks, cakes and pastries, sandwiches, wraps, salads, superfoods, ready meals, pizza, ice cream, fresh ingredients, condiments, free from options, vegan, natural and organic, healthy convenience, sustainable packaging and disposables; plus, business essentials, specialist equipment, catering tech and payment solutions. The list goes on…
The future’s here
2019 is already shaping up to be a bumper year for new product launches. Scores of exhibitors have been busy sharing details of what’s new from them (with many launching officially to the UK trade at the show). Here’s some of the highlights:
Radnor Hills is launching a new 330ml can format for its pure spring water (still and sparkling)
Mindful Bites’ new Veganettone (vegan panettone) range is available in Classic, Chocolate and Mixed Berries flavours
Hullabaloo’s new family-friendly, Nutty Munch chocolate bars, with 75% less sugar, are sweetened with chicory root fibre and natural erythritol
Lord Sandwich’s new Full-Wrap is a gluten-free, whole protein tortilla made from red lentils
Liteez by Matok V’kal is a (patent pending) plant-based, meringue kiss cookie/sweetener, which can dissolve in hot drinks or eaten as a sweet treat
The Savourists’ savoury slice snacks are packed with bursts of Sundried tomato, basil and rosemary or Black olive and nori seaweed
DBoost Drinks’ new fat-free milk and natural juice drink contains 100% NRV of Vitamin D
Gut Instinct’s Barista Edition Milk alternatives (in Oat, Almond, Coconut and Soya) are designed specifically to work well in tea and coffee
Kinoko Kombucha’s low sugar soft drinks (including new Citrus Hop Kinoko) are made in Yorkshire with rainforest alliance green tea
Qwrkee Foods’ Probiotic Puffs – said to be the world’s first probiotic snack, boasts over 1 billion live bio cultures in every serving
Flower and White’s new Meringue Bites & Bars are the first in the confectionery sector to launch in 100% paper recyclable, plastic free, compostable packaging
Re:Nourish’s grab and go, plant-based soup range comes in a ‘game-changing’ re-heatable, fully recyclable bottle and can be eaten/drunk hot or cold
And that’s just from twelve of the show’s 400 exhibiting companies. Over 100 are expected to enter this year’s much-sought-after lunch! Innovation Challenge awards (more details, including the stellar line-up of judges, will be released in the coming months).
Over 70 exhibitors are also new to the show, including: General Mills (Lärabar fruit and nut wellness bars), Rod & Ben’s organic seasonal foods, T2 Tea, YourSpring (formerly Sauce Water), Naylor Farms, Red Bull, Soreen, Sci-MX Nutrition, Huel, Feed, Jack Link’s meat snacks, Just Live a Little, Plant Pops (popped lotus seed snacks), BumbleZest, K&L – Quinoa, Farro, Cauliflower Quick Meals, Copa (cold-pressed juices and purees), Clearly Drinks, Urban Rajah, Karma (ginger beer), St Michel Biscuits, WorldBake (Ditsch Pretzel range), Crème D’Or (confectionery and fine food), AIB Foods (Indus, Shalimar and Scrubbys brands), nush (dairy free cheese spread), Fire Grain Freekeh, Chilled Maté yerba iced tea drinks, COCO – The Art of Chocolate, Precious Pea – Organic Houmous, Wholey Moly Cookies, Unrooted Fresh Energy, Banhoek Chilli Oil Company (UK), True Gum, Yummycomb, Poseative (Crickelle – Cricket Crackers), J&G Pecans, Agriculture – Ein Harod ACA (Silan, date syrup from Israel), Joypots, Pri’s Puddings, Polarbröd, Poptails by LAPP, and Veg of Lund UK (with its My Foodie range of organic potato-based drinks).
Market-leading brands
As for returning exhibitors, there’s no shortage of innovative brands keen to enjoy another helping of lunch!’s much talked-of ‘buzz’.
Among them are: Hain Daniels UK, James White Drinks, Yorvale (Yorlife Kefir), Rebel Kitchen, Hippeas, Pan’Artisan, Impress Sandwiches, MOJU Drinks, Pots & Co, :Diablo, Around Noon, Yorvale, Aqua Carpatica, Salty Dog Brands, Teapigs, Rushdi Food Enterprises, Peck and Strong, Stoats Porridge Bars, Chum Fruit Snacks, Lizzie’s Food Factory, Follow Your Heart UK, Feel Good Company, No.1 Living Kombucha, Boundless, Simply Ice Cream, Tracklements Condiments, The White Rabbit Pizza Co., Galeta, Aqua Esse, Arnaouti Pitta Bread Bakery, Glebe Farm Foods, Tofurky, Tanpopo Japanese Food, Popcorn Shed, Chuck of Devon, KFF, Yoyo Wallet, Wi5, and Craftis – Children’s Activities.
Coffee buyers looking to refresh their menus should check out: Fitch Brew, Califia Farms, Land & Tide, West Kensington Coffee and Bakehouse (Chapter Coffee), Jacobs Douwe Egberts Professional, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, Rombouts Coffee, Tudor Tea & Coffee, Wessenan UK. Plus, find the latest machines and equipment from Cup & Cino, My Coffee Station, Magrini, Welbilt UK, and Pastorfrigor.
For packaging and catering disposables (including sustainable and plastic-free options) head to: RawPac, Thirsty Box, Europac, Celebration Paper & Plastics, Silver Crane, Labelling Solutions, Sabert Europe, Coveris, Schur Star Systems, RAP, It’s a Wrap, BioPak UK, Kepak, Sharpak Aylesham, Pockito, Ecoffee Cup, Huskup, and ButterflyCup.
View and search the initial exhibitor list at www.lunchshow.co.uk/visiting/2019-exhibitor-list.
Big name Keynotes
lunch! offers an invaluable opportunity to hear expert insights, business strategies and advice from some of the biggest names in the business. There are 30+ free sessions to enjoy (exclusive Keynotes, interviews, research updates and panel discussions) in three show theatres; including the highly anticipated new Coffee Shop Keynote Theatre.
The speaker line-up already includes: Marta Pogroszewska, MD of GAIL’s Bakery; Hannah McKay, head of food & beverages UK & Ireland at Caffé Nero; Hannah Squirrell, customer and marketing director at Greggs; Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality; Alex Young, CEO of pod food; Josh Brown, head of coffee & commercial development at Harris & Hoole; Ollie Rosevear, head of environment at Costa Coffee; Said Takhamt, CEO of Cojean; Arnaud Kaziewicz, director of food & beverage at EAT.; Martyn Clover, head of food at Tortilla; James Kidman, head of food at Crussh; and Aggie Morrell, head of food at pod food.
Free trade registration
lunch! will return to London ExCeL on 19-20 September. For further information and to register free in advance, please visit Click Here
