Speciality & Fine Food Fair announces exclusive product launches and extended opening hours

Speciality & Fine Food Fair is set to welcome a wide range of new producers, partners, features and products when it returns to Olympia London on 6-7 September 2021.  

The Fair has seen huge enthusiasm from the fine food & drink industry since opening visitor registration, with buyers from big name brands such as Waitrose, Ocado, Harrods, Ludlow Farm Shop, Selfridges, Daylesford and many more signing up to attend.  

Non-food products will be highlighted at the Fair for the first time as part of the all-new Non-Food Trail, showcasing items such as giftware, homeware, packaging and kitchenware relevant to the event's key buyer audience. The event will also include a Vegan & Plant-Based Trail highlighting businesses such as Ananda's Vegan Marshmallows & Waggon Wheels, FNK Vegan Pies and The Vegan Society.  

In response to growing interest from UK retail and wholesale buyers, the 2021 event will also see the launch of The Sustainability Zone in partnership with PALLITE, a dedicated area of the Fair showcasing producers with significant sustainability credentials.  

John Farrand, MD of the Guild of Fine Food, commented: “Have we ever needed a trade show more than now? I’m looking forward to pacing the aisles at Olympia London and seeing what’s new and what’s changed, but more than that I want to see and talk with people, taste food, drink and learn.” 

Speciality & Fine Food Fair Late 

This year’s Fair will see the launch of Speciality & Fine Food Fair Late, with the introduction of the Fair’s first late night opening on Monday 6 September until 8pm. 

Event Manager Philippa Christer commented: “After two uncertain and turbulent years for our community, we wanted to mark this very special edition of the Fair by extending our opening hours on the first day to reconnect, network and celebrate our remarkable industry.” 

Visitors will have more time than ever to get to know the wide range of producers at the event, many of whom have launched since March 2020, who will be hosting product tastings, networking drinks and competitions over the course of the evening.  

Speciality & Fine Food Fair Late will be an evening of networking opportunities, producer events, live music and celebration, including a Celebratory Cocktail Evening at The Inspiration Bar, in association with Mixology Group. The Mixology Group team will be running cocktail making and tasting sessions, showcasing some of the Fair’s drinks producers and providing visitors with inspiration on how to increase sales and customer satisfaction from their drinks offering. 

The evening will also see Pitch Live, sponsored by Virgin StartUp, during which three producers will compete to impress a panel of expert judges and to win prizes including a stand at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2022 and six-months business mentoring with the team at Virgin StartUp.  

Exclusively for VIPs, the evening celebrations will include a Drinks Reception from 6:45–7.45pm on the Food for Thought Stage, including an exclusive keynote from GAIL’s CEO Tom Molnar.  

New launches 

The Fair is set to be a hub for new product launches, from SugarSin’s new range of gourmet gummies to gluten-free, organic and vegan cookies from Island Bakery to Source of the Earth, a new air-popped crisp with a fully compostable packet.  

This year’s event will also mark the first industry trade show for businesses which have launched during the pandemic. The Discovery Zone, which each year is open to producers that have been trading for less than three years, will be showcasing new businesses such as Oban-based Slainte Sauces, Posh Cow butter and Ichilda’s Kitchen, providing jams, marmalades and cooking oils with a Jamaican twist.  

International investment 

Speciality & Fine Food Fair is set to welcome a wide range of international producers to its 2021 edition, including a number of countries and regions which haven’t had a presence at the Fair before.  

The Ivory Coast, Comoros, Lebanon, Cameroon and Denmark will all be represented for the first time, in addition to the Brussels region of Belgium and the Caribbean, bringing the total number of countries at the event to over 30.  

Colombian chocolate company, Luker Chocolate, commented: “Speciality & Fine Food Fair brings together a huge number of industry buyers, producers, suppliers and food and drink professionals - all under one roof. It’s the perfect place to connect with the wider industry to see the growing and emerging trends. We can’t wait to catch up with old friends and introduce our chocolate to this year's attendees!” 

Christer added: “Both Brexit and Covid-19 have impacted international trade and we’re therefore thrilled to have such significant buy-in from international producers. It’s a huge vote of confidence in the UK food & drink market.” 

Speciality & Fine Food Fair takes place at Olympia London on 6-7 September 2021, register to attend at specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk.  

Ends

Editors notes

Speciality & Fine Food Fair is an annual trade show celebrating independent, artisan and craft food & drink suppliers from across the UK and internationally. Each year the show attracts quality buyers from key sectors in the speciality and fine food industry, including key decision-makers from the worlds of retail, catering and wholesale. They have the chance to meet with new-to-market businesses in The Discovery Zone, discuss the latest speciality food trends on the Food for Thought Stage and explore an unparalleled collection of unique suppliers across the show floor.

New for the 2021 event is a dedicated Sustainability Zone at the show, which will showcase the truly innovative businesses putting environmental concerns front and centre in the creation, packaging and distribution of their products.

The show will take place 6-7 September 2021 at Olympia London.