On the 25th, 26th & 27th April we attended the Farm Shop & Deli Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It was a fantastic, extremely well organised event, and there were some really excellent stalls on display. We had some 15 staff attend the show over the course of the 3 days and full disclosure, we did wonder if we may have over done it on the number of us heading down but we could not have been more wrong. All of us worked flat out every day, giving out samples, chatting to customers and ensuring our stall was set up and maintained just as a deli stocking and serving our products would be.
Undoubtedly, the best thing for us was to be able to see and speak to our existing and potential customers. After two (plus) years of visits in person being impossible, to be able to see so many people with the same interests in one room was just fantastic. We had some really interesting, thought-provoking conversations with people from all over the country all trying to find the right products and services for their own businesses.
Over the course of the three days we handed out hundreds of samples which were all freshly cooked on site. This was to give prospective and existing customers a feel for how it could run for them if our products were in their Farm Shop/Deli. Every time the oven door opened on our stall the crowd around us swelled considerably, which was wonderful! The feedback on our stall, our products and our staff was overwhelming. The show also gave us the opportunity to showcase some new product ideas and services – our brand new Freezers and ever-expanding selection of cakes generated a huge amount of interest from people who were unaware we did more than our signature savoury selection!
One of our most popular products, our Steak & Ale Pie was entered in the Farm shop & Deli Product Awards, held over the course of the three days. We were thrilled to learn our Pie won a Gold Award. We know the quality of our products, but it is lovely for that quality, time and skill to be acknowledged by others too. And over the course of the three days -both via the award and the compliments and interest from visitors to our stall- we certainly felt that!
For anyone working in the Food industry who maybe considered visiting or exhibiting at the Show, we would say absolutely go for it! It is a fantastic three days with wonderful people all looking for the same thing: great Food & Drink products, and they were there in abundance!
If we spoke to you at the Show and you would like to chat further, or if you were unable to attend but would like to know more about our exceptional products, (including samples!) please do get in touch here – we would love to hear from you!
Finally, a huge thank you to the organisers and the NEC for a fantastically run Food Show, it was wonderful to be back amongst the masses, doing what we do best! Here’s to next year!