We are so looking forward next week at
Food and Hospitality Africa! The Coffee Magazine will be there to have some coffee fun. We're running a fantastic competition for people who come visit our stand in the Coffee and Tea Pavilion - you can win a coffee machine to take home with you! Follow us on
Instagram and
Facebook to keep in the loop and updated with all the action from the
SCASA stage.
Come hang out with some of the coolest cats on the Gauteng coffee scene and watch them do their thing on stage. Wayne Oberholzer, the current SA Barista Champion will be on hand to impart his knowledge and share a bit about his journey to the World Barista Champs.
*Please note all times are subject to change.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Food & Hospitality Africa – a one-stop shop for hospitality industry
It’s the final countdown to Food & Hospitality Africa – the show that promises to deliver an absolute cornucopia of culinary and hospitality wonders that include a broad selection of products, equipment and services, as well as demonstrations and competitions, and a host of interesting topics in the scheduled seminars and conferences.
F&HA, which runs at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from 3-5 May for the first time, is a co-location of the renowned Hostex show, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, and IFEA, the International food and drink Africa expo.
“F&HA is a response to industry demands for a one-stop shop, which is designed to be the most representative hospitality, food and drink, catering equipment, and food service event on the African continent,” explains Nick Sarnadas, Food & Hospitality Event Director with show organiser Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery. “Under the F&HA banner, we have incorporated the hospitality and food service sectors that Hostex covered so successfully every year, while also adding food and drink, thus combining all the aspects of hospitality in one show and giving us the proud status of being the only pan-African hospitality, food and retail expo.”
The show has attracted a broad spectrum of industry players, and several reputable associations representing the leading bodies in their respective industries are partnering with the expo. They include SACA – SA Chefs Association; SCASA – the Speciality Coffee Association of Southern Africa; RASA – the Restaurant Association of SA; SANHA – the South African National Halaal Association; BABASA – the Bed and Breakfast Association of SA; FEDHASA – the Federated Hospitality Association of SA; GHASA – the Guest House Association of SA; the Sustainable Tourism Partnership Programme (STTP); and NAA – the National Accommodation Association. Other partnerships include the Consumer Goods Council, the Department of Trade & Industry, media partners, Uber and SAA, which is offering discounted flights for visitors to the show from within South Africa, from Africa, and other countries.
The Minister of the Department of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, will officially open Food & Hospitality Africa, and the DTI will also have a pavilion at the expo, reinforcing the real value that it can contribute to trade and industry with Africa and further afield.
Other highlights on the show include The Skillery, a culinary hub powered by the SA Chefs Association, which will be the venue for several culinary competitions and will showcase the world-class talents and skills of many of South Africa’s chefs. Also at The Skillery, Culinary Team South Africa will be displaying the cold table that they will be presenting at the IKA Culinary Olympics, the oldest and most prestigious global culinary competition, on 3 May.
Another feast for the eyes is the SA Cake Decorators Guild display, which will celebrate the Guild’s 40th anniversary with a breath-taking display. Each of the 15 exhibits will depict individual members’ particular talents and creativity and will include features such as animated figurines, fairies, a three-tier traditional cake with extension work and flowers, a celebration cake with flowers, an exhibit displaying paint techniques, and more.
The show will accommodate about 300 exhibitors from over 27 countries, and will be housed in halls two and three at Gallagher Convention Centre, which are linked by a spacious foyer where the New Products Display will be located, as well as the Competition Zone, with cook-offs in competitions run by City & Guilds, Lucky Star and Unilever Food Solutions, which will attract South Africa’s hot young and experienced chefs to show off their talents – and leave with big cash prizes.
The Global Pizza Challenge cook-offs, with a top prize of R15 000 for the pizza champion, will also feature at the expo. “The Global Pizza Challenge finals have been a popular feature of Hostex for some years and we’re delighted that the tradition is continuing at Food & Hospitality Africa,” says Sarnadas.
The trends-driven free to attend Host-ED seminar will also run throughout the show, covering a wide range of topics of interest to exhibition visitors. Presentations will be delivered on the exhibition floor on a first-come, first-served basis. Opening Host-ED is the DTI’s Road Map for the SA Food & Beverage industry, outlining what the DTI has in store for 2016 and how that will benefit the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
To ensure easy access to the show, a shuttle service will run throughout the three days of the show from the Midrand Gautrain Station to Gallagher Convention Centre. Uber is also making life easier with a R150 discount for new Uber users. Access for students enrolled in related fields of study is restricted to the final day of the show from 14:00 to 17:00.
Visitors to Food & Hospitality Africa are advised to pre-register online at www.foodandhospitalityafrica.co.za for quick and easy access to the expo.
“We believe Food & Hospitality Africa will make its mark as a strong asset for the industries it serves, as a leading platform for networking and idea generation, as a hub of information and innovation, as an invaluable source of products and services, and mostly, as a place where the industry wants to be,” says Sarnadas.
