lunch

lunch! draws record number of new exhibitors for comeback ‘supershow’

As the café, coffee shop and food to go sector looks forward to the return of lunch!, on 23 and 24 September 2021, the show’s organisers have revealed a preview of the brands set to be exhibiting there. lunch! 2021 will be showcasing more new and emerging brands than ever before, with first-time exhibitors making up an impressive 30% of the list. Among them are Luxuryshakes Ltd, OmniPork, Unrooted Drinks, Driver’s Pickles, HiP, Mindful Snacker, The Vurger Co and Peter’s Yard. The show has also announced the return of many big-name brands including Hippeas, UCC Coffee UK Ltd, Rombouts Coffee, Soho Sandwich Company Limited, Chapter Coffee, Cawston Press, Around Noon, NOBL Thirst Ltd, Delice de France, Proper, Tony’s Chocolonely, Innocent and Magrini (who will again be sponsoring the VIP lounge). Speaking of the last lunch! show, Magrini’s Amanda Grove said: “The quality of visitors was exceptional… It was our best show to date with so much genuine interest from the food to go sector.”

The year’s show will also boast a huge range of exclusive product launches and its biggest ever Start Up Zone. Now in its fourteenth year, lunch! continues to exceed expectations among industry leaders. itsu and Pret a Manger founder, Julian Metcalfe, said: “lunch! gets better every year, it’s the best show around and puts innovation right at the heart of our sector.” Group event director, Chris Brazier, added: “We love the fact that companies recognise lunch! as the perfect place to showcase their most exciting new products. This year is no exception and quality buyers are going to see a huge number of exclusive product launches. We’re delighted to be back and to be connecting to suppliers and operators when they need it most. A huge thank you to all our supporters.” Among the many brands exclusively launching products at lunch! will be Delice de France, Driver’s Pickles, Luker Chocolate, Ruby’s Food Products, Sigma Alimentos Europe, Waterbomb Ltd and Zess. In addition, hundreds of brands are bringing new products to the show, including Barebells, Boka Food, Flower and White, Food Connections Ltd, GATO, GFT Retail UK, Glebe Farm Foods,

lunch! 2021 takes place on 23-24 September at ExCeL London; registration is free and strictly for members of the trade only. For more information and to register for your free trade pass, visit www.lunchshow.co.uk and use priority code VLU1 (alternately, use direct link: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/ FoodPortfolioShows2021.aspx?TrackingCode=VLU1).

The Good Till Co Ltd, NOCCO, ONOFF My Thai Taste, Plamil Foods, Rombouts Coffee, Soreen, Source of the Earth, Veg of Lund and Zumex. Alongside the 300 exhibiting brands, visitors will be able to discover and vote for their favourite new food to go products in the Innovation Challenge Gallery. This prestigious competition showcases products launched within the last 12 months, with finalists taking part in lively on-stage pitches to a judging panel of industry buyers.

The response to the Innovation Challenge, which has already received a remarkable number of entries, reflects just how vibrant this industry is. This year’s nominations so far come from Brite Drinks, Cano Drinks Ltd, Cocabana, GATO & Co, Itsu grocery ltd, Luker Chocolate, Simply Lunch, St Michel Biscuits, Upbeat Drinks, Quick Crepes, Nourish.growcookenjoy Ltd, Gimber, The Gut Stuff, Ballymaloe, FUL Foods BV, Waterbomb, LunchMate, The Good Till Co., Re:Nourish, The Collective, Celebration Packaging, Organix, Nuttalls, Dairy Concepts and Brezelbackerei Ditsch.

The full, ever-expanding exhibitor list can be viewed online at the show’s web site (www.lunchshow.co.uk), and promises to include the latest innovations in food, drink, packaging and equipment products. In addition, this year’s lunch! is co-located with sister shows Casual Dining and Commercial Kitchen, making it an unmissable two days for retail, foodservice and hospitality buyers. “I’m really excited to be attending lunch! and to have the industry come back together, which is critical as we collectively focus on safely emerging stronger from this pandemic,” said Neil Lake, managing director of Costa and a lunch! 2021 keynote speaker.