Food&Drink East Africa claims it will be the only dedicated exhibition focusing on the trade side of the food and beverage industry in Kenya.

Montgomery, which runs the International Food Exhibition (IFE) in London that attracts 29,000 visitors and 1,350 exhibitors from 180 countries says it hopes to bring together suppliers from Kenya, Africa and all over the world, attracting buyers from industries within retail, food service, hospitality and wholesaling.

Apart from the exhibition, there will be two main features within Food&Drink East Africa, The Hub and The Skillery. The Hub will feature a line-up of business seminars focusing on the latest industry issues. The Skillery will be an area of the show were you will see top Kenyan and International chefs and mixologists in action using the products that are at the show, says the organisers. 

Montgomery says Kenya is going through a period of growth on both a macro and micro level. The country continues to grow consistently by 5-6% each year and it has one of the largest middle classes in Africa at nearly 50% of the population.

The restaurant market in Africa is valued at $100 billion and there are more than 500 hotels and restaurants in Nairobi, more than any other African city outside South Africa. Recently, more and more international supermarkets are entering Africa, Carrefour in Kenya and Shoprite in Nigeria, and they are bringing their and other international products into these regions.

Montgomery’s regional director Alexander Angus said: “We are aiming for around 40% drink exhibitors. These will mostly be alcoholic drinks. At the show we are having a feature called The Skillery which will showcase live demonstrations. Half of this will be drink focused with mixologists and barristas.”