THAIFEX - Anuga Asia Went "Beyond Food Experience" With Promising International Expansion

THAIFEX - Anuga Asia 2024, a grand affair that hosted a record-breaking attendance of 85,850 visitors from 131 countries, concluded successfully with the crowning of winners in various categories and the facilitation of significant business deals.

“THAIFEX - Anuga Asia has once again proven its international significance, drawing participants from across the globe and fostering meaningful industry connections,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director and VP Asia-Pacific, Koelnmesse. For the past 100 years, Koelnmesse has been instrumental in building trade relations. Events like THAIFEX - Anuga Asia continue to build bridges between businesses, people, and nations.

International Exposure and Expansion

The most extensive and impactful edition of THAIFEX - Anuga Asia 2024 has concluded, solidifying its position as Asia’s premier food and beverage trade show. This year’s event, themed “Beyond Food Experience,” showcased groundbreaking innovations, facilitated international partnerships, and brought forth the industry’s future trends

The event included 11 signature trade shows, 6 special shows, and 3 supporting programmes, attracting 3,133 exhibitors from 52 countries and nearly 20,000 international visitors. It provided a platform for significant business deals, with Malaysian exhibitors alone closing USD 10 million in deals over the first three days.

Poland reinforced its robust bilateral relations with Thailand by sending a large delegation and conducting strategic business matching sessions this year. Norbert Bak, Bangkok Bureau Chief of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, remarked, “We are thrilled to see the show exceed our expectations in size and quality leads. The organization here is simply perfect.”

They are looking ahead to THAIFEX - Anuga Asia 2025, the Italian pavilion and Malaysia Business Group plan to double their floor space. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also announced its partnership with the event starting in 2025, further enhancing its global standing.

The event positively influenced specific industries, with the Norwegian Seafood Council reporting a 10% increase in Norwegian seafood exports to Thailand compared to the same period in 2023, valued at THB 3.6 billion.

Beyond business and trade, the event also hosted the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge (TUCC), bringing together over 434 chefs to compete across 23 categories, adding a dash of culinary flair to the trade extravaganza.

All Walks Of The F&B Industry

THAIFEX - Anuga Asia is crucial in driving economic growth and development, significantly contributing to the local economy through increased tourism and hospitality sector engagement. Business matching sessions facilitated valuable partnerships and collaborations, furthering the reach of participating companies.

Joel Leong, Regional Business Head of Surya Foods, said, “I’ve been to THAIFEX - Anuga Asia more than 10 times now, and it’s a very fulfilling experience, even compared to the other exhibitions we attend worldwide. We source from over 50 suppliers at THAIFEX - Anuga Asia, so we come over here to meet our suppliers rather than travel to different countries to meet them.”

First-time exhibitor Mr. Alexander Ljusic, Operations Manager from SOKO Gorica dooel Macedonia, was delighted with the show.

“As the only Macedonian company presenting these products in the drinks sector, we’ve received significant interest and leads. Many companies have visited our booth to taste our products, which has led to promising business opportunities. Given the high number of leads, we are optimistic about turning these into concrete business deals, which will likely bring us back next year,” he said.

The Official Winners of the Alternative Protein Flavour and Taste Contest

The event hosted an Alternative Protein Flavour and Taste Contest, whereby trade visitors sampled and voted for the best alternative protein products as part of the Future Food Experience+ programme. The winners were:

• CPF Global Food Solution Public Company Limited triumphed in the “Taste” category with their Thai Green Curry Gyoza.
• HA LI FA PTE. LTD. garnered recognition for their EPL Mushroom Ball and EPL Vegetable Ball in “Texture”;
• MORNING ARCH SDN. BHD. won in “Aroma and Innovation” for their Hello M'arch Quinoa Noodle Meal Kit.

“It is such an honour for Hello M'arch to have won two categories in the Alternative Protein Taste Contest this year, said Kian Tan, Director of Morning Arch Sdn. Bhd., the makers of Hello M’arch. This recognition inspires us to develop and produce more innovative plant-based and high-nutrient-value products. Our objective is to educate and encourage people to adopt a healthy, sustainable lifestyle through our functional products.”

THAIFEX - Anuga Asia is returning from May 27–31, 2025 with more exciting endeavors to expect.