Kosherfest Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

The internationally acclaimed Kosherfest Exhibition celebrates its 30th anniversary this year: taking place on the 13th and 14th November at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey, USA.

Kosherfest is universally regarded as the flagship event for the kosher food industry and earned its reputation as ‘where the global kosher industry does business’. The world’s largest trade show of kosher-certified products will see more than six thousand industry professionals attend. Three hundred and twenty five exhibitors will display certified products and services from every sector of the expanding kosher food industry. ‘Everyone that is anyone in the kosher industry will be there’, commented KLBD Retail and Sales Manager, Sharon Feldman-Vazan.

KLBD enables many of its certified companies to trade in the North American market and once again it will occupy its traditional place on Stand 207. This year the stand will have an eye-catching new image with colourful, stand-out banners to highlight the array of kosher certified products available to view and sample: ‘We always want to help companies we certify’, said Sharon, and added that the striking display should attract even more visitors. A warm welcome on the stand is guaranteed and a chance to see and taste new and established products, including the delicious ranges of Bendicks Mint Chocolates and more than a dozen Japanese Sake products from Katoukichibee Shoten

On display for sampling will be the six KLBD new product nominees, hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s KLBD winner, Coppola Foods, for whom the accolade was so meaningful.  Eligibility for the competition is determined by being those products not currently available in the USA, or having been certified in the last fourteen months, or fitting both criteria. The KLBD certified companies nominated this year are Ecoprod (NICS), Hampstead Tea, New Legend Numantian Gin, Nutural World, The Protein Ball Company and Wunder Workshop. These will be proudly displayed in the New Product Display Cabinets at the entrance to the exhibition.

For Hampstead Tea, the nomination provides a further opportunity for recognition, since the company already received an award from HRH Prince Charles for its tea range at a UK Organic Food Awards event.  Newly certified Hampstead Tea prides itself on the company motto, ‘to always look for the purity of the source whether it is tea, camomile, ginger or even tea bag paper’. Mark Nicholls, Head of Sales and Marketing, commented ‘I am absolutely thrilled to have entered our craft organic biodynamic ice teas into the awards at the Kosherfest exhibition in North America. We have, prior to the show even starting, received lots of interest from companies around the world and feel confident that working with KLBD is the right move for our parev products around the globe’.

Nutural World is another KLBD certified company in contention. It produces a range of delicious nut butter products that contain no sugar, oil or artificial flavours.  Along with its nutritional benefits, tantalising flavours include almond and coconut spread. Its pistachio butter can also be purchased as an attractive gift case of three miniature jars.

Natalie Kohn, Marketing and Communications Manager, from The Protein Ball Company, commented ‘”We are so excited to be entering this year’s Kosher Awards at Kosherfest in November. We have entered our new breakfast ball range as we believe our innovative, on-the-go breakfast snacks offer something unique to our Jewish customers in terms of taste and texture with gluten free, natural ingredients. We now have 7 products Kosher certified with KLBD across our protein ball and breakfast ball ranges, and we are thrilled to open up new and exciting markets with this certification’.

Another sake brand, imported by New York Mutual Trading, to be tasted on the stand will be Tamano Hikari. Rachel Fiekowsky from the company commented ‘The KLBD has a hard-working, professional and positive team, and their symbol inspires trust and confidence wherever it appears. We couldn’t be happier to work with them, and neither could our customers’.

The benefits for companies striving to introduce their kosher products to the US retail market continue to increase.  Mintel reported last year that the American food retailing market was worth $700 billion dollars and the Vice President of Kosher Network International, Deborah Shapiro, commented on the increase of shopping baskets filled with mainstream grocery items that have achieved kosher certification. In an extract from the September 2017 edition of Supermarket News, she said ‘Having the right kosher items in your store can drive total store sales’.

Vegan, plant based eating and other health trend sales continue to grow strongly in the US, where there is a 600% increase in vegan food consumption.  While it is widely reported that millennials are the central drivers of the shift from consuming animal products, the plant-based movement is larger than any one generation’s tastes. KLBD certified Wunder Workshop is an excellent example of a UK company producing organic and ethically sourced turmeric-based products. It is also nominated for the new product award category.

As well as the wide range of stands to visit, an impressive schedule of events has been organised for the milestone anniversary of Kosherfest.  For the first time also a full conference programme will be led by keynote speakers on trending developments within the kosher food industry and a host of intriguing topics.

The joint founder of Kosherfest, Menachem Lubinsky, commented in Kosher Today that the 30th anniversary celebrations are really recognition of the extraordinary growth and development of an industry that has penetrated food markets worldwide’.