The trade fair platform for hospitality and foodservice reaches high participation levels
Optimism and recovery in the gastronomic activities at Alimentaria & Hostelco
More than 30 renowned chefs will showcase the excellence of Spanish gastronomy at the next edition of Alimentaria & Hostelco, which will take place from 4th to 7th April at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía exhibition venue. Innovation, sustainability, proximity and creativity will be the focus of the programme of activities for an edition that exudes optimism and reactivation with a participation that is already close to full.
The simultaneous staging of Alimentaria with Hostelco, (the International Restaurant, Hotel and Catering Equipment and Machinery trade show) will show both the Horeca distribution and channel the most complete and transversal offer of the entire value chain of the equipment, restaurant and catering and gastronomy industry.
With just over a month to go, Alimentaria & Hostelco is expecting the participation of nearly 3,000 exhibitor companies and the occupation of nearly 85,000 m2 of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía venue. Of these, almost 20,000m2 and three pavilions will be occupied by 600 catering, foodservice, hotel and catering equipment companies, sectors which, through their participation in the event, confirm their recovery.
For J. Antoni Valls, director of Alimentaria, “the event is definitely the benchmark trade fair platform for our sector and participating in it is the best way to help revitalise it. These gastronomic activities are an excellent initiative to support its necessary relaunch“.
For his side, Rafael Olmos, president of Hostelco and of the Spanish Federation of Associations of Manufacturers of Machinery for the Hospitality, Catering and Allied Industries, assures that “the event will be more relevant than ever for a sector that has already begun its recovery. The programmed activities will be the best showcase for the latest trends in techniques, products and equipment from the most prestigious chefs in the country”.
50 activities and 35 Michelin stars
In this way, both shows will offer more than 50 gastronomic activities and areas specialising in oil, coffee, bakery and confectionery. One of the star activities will be The Experience Live Gastronomy by Alimentaria & Hostelco, which will have six areas where cooking shows, workshops, talks and presentations will take place. The programme will focus on sustainability, bringing chefs and local producers closer together and reviving traditional preparations.
Around thirty chefs with more than 35 Michelin stars will take part in this event to showcase their most genuine and avant-garde creations, in an attempt to balance tradition and sustainability and with the utmost respect for quality raw materials and quality. Elena Arzak (Arzak ***), Paolo Casagrande (Lasarte ***), Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch (Disfrutar **), Fina Puigdevall (Les Cols **), Mario Sandoval (Coque **), Raül Balam (Moments **), Alberto Feruz, (Bonamb** ), Lucía Freitas (A Táfona*), Hideki Matsuhisa (Koy Shunka *), Macarena de Castro (Maca de Castro *), Nandu Jubany (Can Jubany *), Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita *), Albert Raurich (Dos palillos *), Pepe Solla (Casa Solla *) and Marcos Morán (Casa Gerardo *) are some of the big stars on the programme.
The Experience will host for the first time the presentation of the winner of the Premio Nacional Tapa Alimentos de España, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and will once again hold the final of the Chef of the Year Competition, with a jury chaired by Martín Berasategui and including Jordi Cruz and Sebastian Frank, among others.
Coffee and olive oil tastings
As in previous events, The Olive Oil Bar will be a self-guided tasting where professionals will be able to sample around a hundred of the best national Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO), including products protected by Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas, new brands promoted by small producers and olive oil mills, and other oils with prestigious awards such as Oro del Desierto, Masia L’Altet, Omed, Oleícola Jaén and Oro Bailén. In its 2022 edition, this area dedicated to oils will be subdivided into four categories: Conventional Production EVOO, Organic Production EVOO, Specialities and the EVOO winners of the Food from Spain award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA).
At the same time, Hostelco will talk about the potential of coffee as a “star product” in the bar, catering and Horeca channels. In addition to tastings and demonstrations on how to prepare and drink coffee, the space called “Hostelco Live Moments” will also include new food options and the latest trends in patisserie, ice cream, bakery and cocktails.
Maximum representation from the sector
Together with Restaurama, Alimentaria will once again feature 10 sectors specialising by type of product or origin: Interlact (milk and dairy products), Expoconser (preserves), Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionary (confectionery industry and impulse channel), Mediterranean Foods (Mediterranean Diet, fresh produce, olive oils and vegetable oils), Intercarn (meat and meat products), Grocery Foods (mass-market food companies), Alimentaria Trends (delicatessen, organic, allergen-free, Halal and functional), Lands of Spain and International Pavilliums.
For its own, Hostelco will include, in addition to “Hostelco Live Moments”, spaces such as ‘Hostelco Live Hotel’, which will reproduce the main rooms of a hotel with the latest innovations in interior design and equipment, and ‘Hostelco Live Arena’, which will host presentations by experts in the hospitality industry.
Barcelona, 24th February 2022
Susana Santamaria – Gloria Dilluvio
ssantamaria@alimentaria.com – gdilluvio@firabarcelona.com