For two jam-packed days in May, London Olympia revelled in the delightful aromas, tastes and sounds of the café and coffee shop industry as hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of trade visitors came together to network, promote and appreciate the most recent developments and latest trends in this burgeoning sector.

Over 200 exhibitors and upwards of 4,500 visitors made their way to London on the Mauy14-15, for the ninth edition of the Caffè Culture Show. The popular event remains the leading focal point of the industry, attracting buyers from big chains, smaller independent operators and those looking to make the most of the significant opportunities available from a quality hot beverage and food offering.

New to this year’s event, visitors were full of praise for the Artisan Food Market. Bringing together a host of innovative independent companies and a vibrant display of delicious, mouth-watering products all made with the highest quality ingredients, the market created a bustling village-like atmosphere on the show floor.

Also new to this year’s show was a comprehensive seminar programme focusing on the rapidly growing street food market, led by Richard Johnson, author of Street Food Revolution and the voice of the Street Food scene in the UK. The programme saw hundreds of engaged visitors make the most of this free expert business advice.

Cheryl Carroll, Event Director, comments: “This year’s show has been a fantastic success, attracting a very similar number of visitors to last year’s show, something which only goes to show the stability in the market.

"With the event showcasing an extensive range of new products and services and with an enlightening schedule of business seminars and product demonstrations which were extremely well attended, we have received some very positive feedback. New additions and features such as the Artisan Food Market and Networking Café on the show floor and a focus on the growing trend for Street Food and Artisan Baking allowed visitors to glean insights and tips from those who are championing these opportunities.

"All in all, the general feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike has been resounding in the fact that the Caffè Culture Show continues to be the pinnacle trade event in the industry.”

Martin Perry, General Manager of Qualitasse, leading importers of quality coffee and espresso machines commented: “Certainly, our experience yesterday was fantastic – we had twice as many enquiries as we had hoped for, and so we are very, very pleased with the show.”

Amanda Grove, Marketing Manager at Magrini added: “It has been so busy! From opening, we’ve been rushed off our feet – we’ve gained the most leads we’ve ever taken at Caffe Culture. We’ve already re-booked for next time, with a bigger stand.”

Verde Coffee’s Clare Denning was delighted by the quality of the leads received from the show, commenting “We think that the show’s been very positive. We’ve been able to spend our time talking to people who are exactly the right target market for us; from people starting up new business through to long-running cafés, as well as distributors and established restaurants, there’s been the perfect mix of visitors.”

The Caffè Culture Business Theatre and the Caffé Culture Taste Experience Stage in association with Unox once again proved to be a big success drawing big crowds keen to gather free business advice from industry experts across all areas of coffee shop service and see live demonstrations on ways to improve beverage and food preparation and presentation.

A full list of exhibitors, together with images of the show and details of the new products showcased can be found at www.caffecultureshow.com.