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Visitor numbers up at successful trade fair

BIOFACH Newsroom

3 November 2017 // NürnbergMesse

Visitor numbers up at successful trade fair

Closing Report

From 14 to 16 September 2017, organic products once again took centre-stage at the Baltimore Convention Center. A large number of organic sector players returned this year for BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC, which took place parallel to the Natural Products Expo East. More than 1,500 companies, of which 196 were fully organic exhibitors, and more than 29,000 visitors, gathered to learn about the latest organic trends. With 26 nations represented, including Italy, UK, France and the Netherlands, BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2017 had a highly international flavour. As a complement to the exhibition, visitors and exhibitors benefited from the usual high-calibre conference programme and the wide range of interesting workshops.

“This year’s BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC could simply not have gone better. The mood at the stands was consistently good and 80% of visitors had already secured their stand for 2018 before they left the venue. Organic companies interested in taking part in the next trade fair should therefore register as soon as possible,” recommends Ann-Christin Hoyer, Manager International Exhibitions at NürnbergMesse. She adds: “The Table-top Area that we created in 2016, where first-time exhibitors display their organic products, proved very popular yet again.” BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2017 impressed in general with its exciting offers for new exhibitors. As well as the special display area, there was also a special slot for “newbies” at the conference running concurrently to the exhibition. Among other things it enabled newcomers to obtain a compact overview of the US organic market and tips for a successful entry into the market.

And it’s a market that is certainly interesting for organic companies: According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the US organic market is continuing to develop positively. In 2016, American spent almost US$ 50 billion on organic foods, with fruit and vegetable accounting for 14% of this turnover. More than 82% f American households are purchasing organically produced food in the meantime. To satisfy demand by Americans for organic products, USDA ORGANIC says that goods to the value of around US$ 1.65 billion were imported in 2016, mainly bananas, olive oil, wheat, coffee and soya beans, and it’s a trend that’s set to continue.

Organic trends at BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2017

Ann-Christin Hoyer had this to say about the latest organic trends at the event: “This year too, there were once again a lot of products with chocolate on display – either in its pure form or as a sweet coating for dried fruits and nuts. There were also a lot of vegan, gluten-free and soy-free products at BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC. Moreover, fitness foods like organic protein shakes also attracted a lot of attention. “Organic beverages, especially flavoured mineral water, continue to be a firm favourite,” she adds.

Exhibitors entirely satisfied

BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2017 also received positive feedback from exhibitors. Eric Boissieres, Head of Sales USA at Bio Planéte (Moog Oil Mill), France said: “We were a first-time exhibitor at BIOFACH AMERICA and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and popularity of the trade fair. We had a lot of conversations with potential customers and so took the opportunity to expand our network. All in all it was a great experience!” Fellow first-timers Marc Netten and Christian Übelhör, CEOs of Naturkost Übelhör from Germany, agree: “A wonderful trade fair with a large contingent of major players from the international organic sector! For us, BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our products to the US organic market and in doing so develop our organic network outside of Europe.”

Highlights of the supporting programme

One highlight in the supporting programme of the combined trade fair was the presentation of the New Hope NEXTY Awards, which also included accolades for two organic products. In the category “Best New Organic Food”, for example, the firm True Story Foods won an award for its “Organic Thick Cut Oven Roasted Chicken Breast”. In the organic beverages category, the “Best New Organic Beverage” award went to SOUND for its sparkling teas.

In addition, Natural Products Expo East and BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC 2017 once again offered a solid conference programme. The keynote address by international best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer on the Friday was very well received by the audience. He spoke among other things about his road trip through the USA, during which he visited livestock farms, from small family-owned businesses to large-scale operations. After this experience the question he was asking was not so much: “Can you eat that?” but rather “Should you eat that?

Other highlights included the mood-setting Harvest Festival table-top event, morning workouts and the popular “Women in Naturals” get-together, where various female entrepreneurs from the sector meet to network with one another and exchange success stories. The evening events then offered a relaxing blend of good food, good company and live music.

A date for your diary in 2018!

The next BIOFACH AMERICA – ALL THINGS ORGANIC will take place from
13 to 15 September 2018 in Baltimore.

The next BIOFACH events:

BIOFACH, Nuremberg: 14-17 February 2018
BIOFACH INDIA, Delhi: 9 -11 November 2017
BIOFACH CHINA, Shanghai: 24 – 26 May 2018
BIOFACH AMERICA LATINA, São Paulo: 6 – 9 June 2018
BIOFACH SOUTH EAST ASIA, Bangkok: 12–15 July 2018
BIOFACH JAPAN, Tokyo: 2018

BIOFACH World

NürnbergMesse has proven expertise in the field of organic foodstuffs. In February every year, the international organic sector gathers in Nuremberg at BIOFACH, the world’s leading fair for organic food products. The comprehensive range of certified organic products on display shows their diversity – from fresh products like dairy and cheese, fruit, vegetables, dry products like grains and pulses, nuts and confectionery to beverages. The international patron of BIOFACH is IFOAM – Organics International, the national honorary sponsor the German Federation of Organic Food Producers (BÖLW). An integral part of this world-leading fair is the BIOFACH Congress, a knowledge-sharing platform that is unique worldwide. With another six BIOFACH events in Japan, the USA, South America, China, India and Thailand, BIOFACH World has a global presence and year for year brings together more than 3,000 exhibitors and 100,000 trade visitors.