The Diplomat in Spain

The Diplomat

The Salón Gourmets, the number one quality food and beverage fair in Europe, will celebrate its 37th edition next week at the Ifema facilities in Madrid, with Morocco as the country of honour and Andalusia as the invited autonomous community.

The fair will occupy five pavilions in which more than 2,000 companies will be located that will offer some 55,000 products from Monday, the 22nd, to Thursday, the 25th, where it is expected to have more than 100,000 professional buyers from the restaurant, gourmet distribution (large stores, delicatessen stores), hotel chains, etc.

Last year, the Salón Gourmets, which has become an ideal space for establishing commercial alliances and generating exports in the gastronomy sector, generated a business volume of 236 million euros, which the organizers expect, at least continue to maintain in this edition.

Commercial activities will be favored by the Hosted Buyers Program (HBP), a space organized in collaboration with ICEX – Spain Exports and Investments, where exhibitors can hold meetings with international buyers and promote their internationalization.

At the same time, the fair will once again offer competitions such as the Ham Cutters/Dehesa de Extremadura competition, the Spanish Sommelier Championship Tierra de Sabor, co-sponsored by Bodegas Protos, and whose winner will be in charge of representing Spain in the World Sommelier Championship SO; the National Competition in Search of the Best Cachopo Made with Asturian Veal I.G.P or the Estrella Galicia Beer Draft Championship-Certamen Madrid, to find the best beer draft, among other events.

Morocco and Andalusia

In this 37th edition, Morocco will be the country of honor and will occupy pavilion 3 from which it will show the richness of its native pantry and its culinary idiosyncrasy, marked by the diversity and intensity of flavors that converge in such emblematic dishes as couscous, tagine, mechoui (roasted lamb) and sweets based on honey and nuts.

During the fair you will be able to get to know Moroccan gastronomic culture up close and try a selection of its typical dishes and gastronomic products from Morocco Foodex, a public organization that is in charge of controlling and coordinating exports from the agricultural and fishing sectors.

Products from various European countries such as Germany, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Ukraine will also be present in this edition, which will have a space provided by the organization. From outside Europe there will be a presence from Argentina, Canada, China and the Chinese administrative region of Hong Kong, Costa Rica, the United States, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Peru and Thailand.

At the national level, Andalusia, as a guest region, will present at the fair its new quality seal ‘Gusto del Sur’, promoted by the Junta de Andalucía, and fifty signatures from the community will be exhibited in five pavilions with the celebration of activities, tastings and demonstrations around various products such as extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, pastries, Iberian products, meats, fish, and wines, among others.

Likewise, there will be activities promoted by other communities or provinces such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Granada in those recognized as ‘Days of’ that will take place in different settings in pavilion three.