The Perils of Turning Up Late to Food & Drink Trade Shows (in the UK at least)

Notes from the Castell Howell Trade Show

Last week I attended the Castell Howell food and drink trade show in Wales.

Unfortunately, I made one tactical error.

I arrived late.

Very late. I'd completely forgotten about it until lunchtime on the last day. Fortunately, it was around the corner fro em, so I could make it still.

By the time I got there (just after lunchtime on the final day) a number of exhibitors were already packing up their stands. Boxes were appearing, banners were being rolled down and the quiet hum of breakdown had started to replace the buzz of a busy show floor.

I should have to remembered that many of these exhibitors have travelled from all over the UK to attend shows like this. After several long days of exhibiting, the final afternoon often becomes a race to get packed up and back on the road.

So while I did manage to speak to some brands, I probably caught the show in its final act rather than its opening scene.

Still, even in those closing hours, a few things were very clear.

The Food & Drink Boom Is Very Real

If there is one takeaway from the Castell Howell show, it’s this:

Food and drink entrepreneurship is booming.

The sheer number of new brands entering the market is remarkable.

Across snacks, beverages, sauces, bakery, wellness products and functional foods, founders are continuing to launch new ideas at a rapid pace.

Many of these businesses are small, early-stage brands trying to carve out space in competitive categories.

Some are driven by health trends.

Others by flavour innovation.

Many by founders who simply believe they can build something better.

It’s a reminder that the barriers to starting a food or drink brand are lower than ever.

The challenge, of course, comes later – when it’s time to scale.

I especially enjoyed sampling this Falwsome juice, made from wonky fruit, prpving sustainability is a great way to innovate in a competitive market.

The Stalwarts Are Still Going Strong

Alongside the wave of new challenger brands were plenty of familiar names.

Despite all the doom and gloom in the media, established food and drink companies – the stalwarts of the industry – were out in force.

When speaking to a few of them, the general sentiment was reassuringly consistent:

They’re doing OK.

Not necessarily experiencing explosive growth, but steady, sustainable business.

In an industry that has faced significant pressure in recent years – rising costs, supply chain disruption and shifting consumer habits – that kind of stability is notable.

For many of these companies, trade shows remain an important part of maintaining relationships with buyers, wholesalers and distributors.

It's great to see Stokes (my favourite tomato ketchup), not just going strong but still expanding it's range with new products. I especially enjoyed the habanero Chilli sauce (though I forgot to take a picture of it!). One good side to being there at the end of the show is – you an sometimes snaffle a bit of extra bounty, like these tubs of Spicy Tomato Cutney and Apple and Brandy Chutney which have been dispensed into jars to join our ever growing condients shelves.

Shows Like This Still Matter

It’s easy to assume that digital marketing, social media and online retail have replaced the importance of physical trade shows. But events like Castell Howell prove that face-to-face interaction still matters enormously in the food and drink industry.

Shows bring together:

• founders

• buyers

• distributors

• wholesalers

• chefs

• retailers

In one place.

That kind of concentrated networking is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

For young brands in particular, these events provide an opportunity to tell their story, introduce their product and start building the relationships that often lead to distribution later on.

Next time I’ll arrive earlier to future food & drink trade shows in the UK!

If there’s one lesson I took from this visit, it’s a simple one:

Arrive earlier.

Trade shows have a rhythm.

The opening hours tend to bring the most energy, the most conversations and the most opportunities to discover interesting new brands.

By the final afternoon, the industry is already starting to head home.

Still, even arriving late offered a valuable snapshot of the current food and drink landscape.

New brands are launching.

Established businesses are holding steady.

And the industry continues to evolve at pace.

Which makes the next show (NRB, Manchester), hopefully one I arrive at on time, all the more interesting.

I'll be attending lots of food and drink trade shows in the UK throughout 2026, hopefully I'll be getting to meet a lot of new and established brands and showcasing them on this blog in the coming weeks.