[L-R] Richard Haddon, Julien Coron, Sam Bailey, Jimmy Barrat, Felix Hartmann. [L-R] Richard Haddon, Julien Coron, Sam Bailey, Jimmy Barrat, Felix Hartmann.

The second edition of Foodex Saudi welcomed exhibitors from around the world to the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events and saw it host a Salon Culinaire competition for the first time

More than 400 brands from 30 countries descended upon Jeddah for the recent Foodex Saudi trade show, which attracted both consumer and industry interest.

Taking place at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events from November 17-20, 2014, the second edition of the event was expected to welcome more than 15,000 visitors, exploring both standalone businesses and national pavilions.
The Mexico pavilion was among the largest at the event and was present with backing from the country’s embassy in Riyadh.

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Arturo Trejo, the Ambassador of Mexico to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spoke about the significant opportunities for suppliers from his nation in the Kingdom.

“Over the past ten years, our trade [with Saudi Arabia] has grown five-fold,” he said. “Ten years ago we had around US $200 million, now we have over US $1 billion.

“We have exported many manufactured products, including automobile parts for cars and pick-up trucks.
“But we want to improve our export of food. We are already exporting honey and other items, but not in big volume.”

Among the major companies exhibiting at Foodex Saudi was Arrow Food Distribution, which supplies both retail and food service with brands such as Valrhona, Evian and Panzani Pasta.

Business development & marketing manager Syed Mohammed Noorie told Caterer: “The food service industry is booming here. People are going out more and more for dinner. It wasn’t the case before.

“Trends are changing and because of our portfolio, we are aiming at the premium end. We are growing double-digit, even triple-digit, in some categories and we are expecting more to come.”

Another important aspect of the show was its first Salon Culinaire, endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) and the Saudi Arabian Chefs Association (SARCA)

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