I was invited by my my dear friend to attend an event with him where food suppliers present their products to wide range of customers, consumers, and distributors. It was a great opportunity to meet people behind the brand as well as the teams who work tirelessly to promote it.
As I am equally passionate about food as I am about travel, I was very happy to be able to attend. Additionally, it was focusing on organic and healthy products so this was my kind of place to discover. I don't think I stopped at every stand but I have visited quite a few and managed to speak to quite a few suppliers and companies.
Here is an outline and explanation of brands I will be looking for next time I go for my weekly grocery shopping.
With its own Kombucha corner, the show brought you at least 6 different producers of kombucha. As this is now a foodie craze, I had a chat with few of the suppliers. I think all of them do a great job and all of them offer good products. I had a very nice chat with a lady who represented @No1Kombucha brand and who let me test 3 different flavours. I could not choose a favourite but all three had something different to offer. Ginger and tumeric, raspberry pomegranate & hibiscus tasted like a fruit tea, and finally passion fruit & goji. All delicious and a great story behind the brand who cares about living from the inside out.
Another stand that had a great vibe and lovely people (that is also important to me) were ladies from @BumbleZest I am so happy I passed by their stand as I had no idea about this brand and I am so glad that I got to try their matcha shot. Their product is a small shot of natural super foods, packed in small bottles which are designed to be taken 'on the go' . I can see them as a great companion to my travels but also inseparable part of my day to day. I'll be watching closely to find their products in shops.
Huge surprise and another great experience for my palate were power balls from Portuguese company whose balls are different by being different :-) @Apyballs have flavours that I have not seen in UK market, my favourite one was goji berries and cacao. But you also had chia & lemon, peanut butter & cranberry. They could definitely be a competition to Ella's balls which come at higher price point. All natural ingredients, no added sugar, and gluten free - what not to love about them?
And just when I thought nothing is there for me to exclaim 'wow' I pass by a stand with huge sign "No Sin Gin" and then I stopped. I had a great chat with a man (sorry I did not get his name) who told me all about the gin, how it came to existence and my friend and I tested the product. I had pink version with tonic, and let me tell you - it was divine!! It tastes exactly like you would have your regular G&T so there was a taste of spirit but no alcohol. The flavours made my palate happy, and I know I will be stocking up on this bad boy gin. An interesting fact is that a serving of gin (25 ml) only has 6 calories, now that is less than glass of prosecco! I will leave that for you to ponder on...
As a big fan of watermelon and coconut I was eager to learn a bit more about Aussie company H2 who specialises in pink coconut water which is sweeter than your regular coconut water. As a coconut water connoisseur I don't mind the taste of coco water but my friend agreed that it was better tasting and he would probably go for the pink one. The reason why it s pink, is not a fashion fad but it is thanks to a variety of coconut grown in Thailand and harvested at the early stages therefore it is sweeter and has pink colour.
I also stopped by an Italian corner where region of Calabria was proudly represented. I had a taste of delicious red Magliocco wine, together with bits of chocolate with chilies, or licorice and delicious olives and cheese. There was a beautiful pizza being made as I was leaving and although I had not tried it it looked so delicious that I am sure that it tasted splendidly.
Spirulina made its name in super food industry and is a staple of some kitchens, here I met a company who provides us with a kit in which you can made energy balls yourself at home in under 10 minutes with 30 balls per month. They provide you with a letterbox recipe kit, Eco-friendly packaging and all ingredients you need to mix and roll. You have all wet and dry ingredients measures and ready to get rolling those balls. And they even have their own hashtag: #mixrolllove!
Apart from visiting the stands with brands, I also had a chance to take part in seminar which was hosted by exec producer of Blue Planet II which was a great privilege to listen to him explaining how they started filming and how the plastic topic ended up being such a huge part of the conversation. I must say the whole day was such a great experience and it was my first time at Food Matters Live, I hope to go there next year as well!
Disclaimer: All opinions about products are subjective and mine :-)