 Gulfood 2026 once again proved why it is one of the world’s most influential food and beverage trade events, bringing together global buyers, suppliers, innovators and industry leaders. Gulfood offered Welsh businesses valuable visibility and networking opportunities, reinforcing Wales’ growing reputation in global food and drink export markets.
This year’s show ran from 26–30 January 2026 across two major Dubai venues for the first time: the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai. Wales was proudly represented by 18 food and drink businesses, exhibiting across both the International Hall and the Dairy Hall, as well as attending as Export Visitors. Together, they demonstrated the impressive breadth, depth, and uncompromising quality of the Welsh food and drink industry, featuring both returning exporters and companies new to the market.
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Watch highlights from the International Hall:
on Instagram or on Facebook
Watch highlights from the Dairy Hall:
on Instagram or on Facebook
‘Food Glorious Food’ breakfast: Welsh companies participated in the ‘Food Glorious Food’ Four Nations Networking Breakfast, joining counterparts from across the UK. This important event enabled high quality networking with influential buyers and partners, joint promotion of UK excellence in global markets and strengthened inter nation relationships within the food and drink sector. Big thanks to Rachel’s, Village Bakery, Golden Hooves, First Milk, Burts Gwalia Bakery, Moose Maple and South Caernarfon Creameries for donating their delicious products to the breakfast menu.
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Live cooking showcase: Talented HCC chef Elwen Roberts demonstrated dishes using products from Welsh exhibitors, drawing strong interest from buyers across the world. Dishes included Welsh lamb marinated in Kursat’s Ezme paste and cheese scones including Rachels Greek yoghurt and Golden Hooves vintage cheddar.
Watch highlights of the cooking demonstration:
on Instagram
on Facebook
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‘Coffi & Connect’ with GlobalWelsh: A networking event bringing together Welsh diaspora and industry leaders, followed by an exclusive tour of Choithrams’ flagship store led by the CEO Mark Mortimer Davies and Choithrams buying team.
If you would be interested in learning more about exporting or would like to be a part of the next international event, please get in touch – shona.hutchinson@gov.wales
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Welsh Government are pleased to announce they will be exhibiting at FHA, Food and Beverage Singapore 2026. The show will take place between 21-24 April 2026 at Singapore Expo.
Please note, the exhibition ProWine Singapore, part of the ProWein World Series of leading wines and spirits trade fairs, the 6th edition, is also taking place at the same time and venue.
Applications are now open if you would like to take a space on the Cymru Wales pavilion. This opportunity is open to any Welsh food and drink business who are currently exporting, or interested in exporting to Singapore, South East Asia or Asia Pacific. Further details about the subsidised packages available can be found on our website.
If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, please email shona.hutchinson@gov.wales
If you would like to be considered, please email shirley.mcgilvray@gov.wales or kelly.divry@gov.wales for an application form.
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Food & Drink Wales will celebrate St David’s Day in style with a special Welsh producer showcase at London’s historic Spitalfields Market from 28 February to 1 March. The event will champion the quality, provenance and growing commercial strength of Wales’ food and drink sector.
 St. David's Day at Spitalfields, London 2024
Visitors will have the chance to meet producers, taste a diverse range of products and learn more about the stories, local sourcing and craftsmanship behind them. The showcase highlights how Welsh businesses blend heritage, protected status and sustainability with modern innovation and strong brand identity.
Producers featured at the event include:
Maggie’s African Twist, Mydlower (wine), Radnor Preserves, Flavour Moments, Gower Gin, Rogue Welsh Cakes, The Patty Man, Still Wild (vermouth), Sobremesa Drinks (cider/beer), Penybryn Honey and Aber Falls Distillery.
This high‑profile event offers a fantastic platform to shine a spotlight on Welsh excellence and reinforce Wales’ growing reputation as a modern, vibrant food nation.
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As B Corp Month approaches in March, it’s a great opportunity to spotlight the growing community of Welsh B Corps, who meet high, verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, demonstrating how responsible practices can drive commercial success.
 Wales is now home to 49 certified B Corps, including 12 food & drink producers, from coffee roasters to sea‑salt makers — each proving that sustainability can strengthen brand trust, competitiveness, and long‑term resilience.
Introducing the B Corp Month Toolkit
To help maximise visibility during B Corp Month, the Sustainability Cluster has launched a B Corp Month Toolkit for certified B Corps, retailers, and trade partners, including:
- Ready‑to‑use and customisable social media assets
- Email banners
- Physical display materials
Assets should be used only during March, but early access supports planning. To access the toolkit, email Louise.Cowdy@levercliff.co.uk
Support for Welsh Producers
Thinking about starting your B Corp journey? The Sustainability Cluster provides funded 1:1 support, offering:
- Tailored guidance through the B Impact Assessment
- A structured pathway toward certification
- Improved readiness and insight into the business benefits of becoming a B Corp
With 1 in 4 consumers recognising the B Corp logo - and 85% saying it shapes what they buy - B Corp certification is a proven way to attract sustainability‑minded customers and build long‑lasting brand trust and credibility.
Contact Lauren.Smith@levercliff.co.uk to get started.
Coming Soon: Sustainability Training Modules
For businesses at the very start of their sustainability journey, our upcoming Sustainability Training modules will offer an accessible introduction to key topics — and can act as the first step toward preparing for B Corp certification.
Be Inspired by Welsh B Corps
Explore our Welsh B Corp Food & Drink Producers brochure to learn from businesses already leading the way.
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By Don Thomas, Food and Drink Wales Industry Board
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Hello, I’m Don Thomas, and I’m proud to serve on the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board. Every day, my work revolves around supporting Welsh agriculture—especially the products we’re world-famous for: Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef – our first Protected Geographical IndicatIon(PGI) products in Wales. These aren’t just high-quality foods; they’re part of our heritage, a testament to the skill and dedication of our farmers, and a source of pride for the nation. |
2026 is set to be a landmark year for farming in Wales. On January 1, the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) launched —a bold, whole-of-Wales approach designed to help our farms thrive sustainably. It’s about making farms more efficient, resilient, and better placed to meet growing consumer demands for food that’s responsibly produced, traceable, and of outstanding quality.
I’ll admit, I didn’t grow up on a farm. My background is in finance and strategic business management. But over decades supporting Welsh agriculture, I’ve seen how much these skills can help—from planning and investment to guiding businesses through change. In the various roles I’ve held across the public and private sectors, I aim to be what I call a critical friend: offering support, challenge, and advice where it can make the most difference.
Welsh farming is entering an exciting new chapter. The SFS is more than a scheme—it’s a chance for farmers to innovate, showcase the quality and provenance of their products, and respond to a global market that increasingly values sustainability and ethics.
My commitment, alongside my colleagues on the Food and Drink Wales Board, is to continue championing our farmers, processors, and food chain businesses. Together, we can ensure that Welsh Lamb, Welsh Beef, and all our homegrown produce remain symbols of excellence, sustainability, and pride—here in Wales and across the world.
Because at the heart of it, Welsh agriculture isn’t just about farming. It’s about people, tradition, innovation, and the food we’re proud to put on every table.
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In our August 2025 issue, we featured an article on the Agri-Food Technology SBRI Phase 2 Demonstration Challenge. This bold initiative is supporting cutting-edge solutions that aim to strengthen the agri-food supply chain, improve sustainability, and drive economic growth in the Welsh Agriculture and Food sector.
This month we have updates on three of these projects.
LanoTech: Transforming Welsh Wool into Sustainable Animal Feed
Welsh Agri-tech startup LanoTech is transforming lanolin, the natural grease found in sheep wool, from an undervalued byproduct into a valuable ingredient in animal feed.
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LanoTech uses Welsh lanolin to replace environmentally damaging oils, such as soya and palm, in poultry feed, revolutionising both the wool and poultry sectors in Wales.
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"We're creating a Welsh circular economy that connects sheep farmers, feed manufacturers, and poultry producers," explains Clodagh Weingart, LanoTech's founder and managing director.
LanoTech began after a conversation with a Mexican shrimp farmer, during which Clodagh learnt that cholesterol derived from lanolin is fed to Mexican shrimps. Clodagh applied to Contracts for Innovation Cymru (formally known as SBRI COE), for a feasibility study to explore feeding British lanolin to poultry.
World-first feed trials are currently underway, funded by Welsh Government and supported by Contracts for Innovation Cymru, conducted in partnership with Aberystwyth University, AberInnovation, and Scotland's Rural University College (SRUC).
"Contracts for Innovation Cymru and Welsh Government have been an invaluable support from the start, funding LanoTech’s early laboratory and now our first live feed trials” says Clodagh.
Early results from their 240-bird trial are promising, with data being collected on performance, digestibility and meat quality across different lanolin concentrations.
LanoTech’s innovation addresses multiple challenges simultaneously. Welsh sheep farmers currently receive minimal returns for their wool, while the animal feed industry faces pressure to find sustainable alternatives to imported ingredients. LanoTech's solution creates a circular economy model that benefits both sectors, potentially improving farmer incomes while reducing the environmental footprint of feed production.
Recognition has come swiftly – LanoTech was named UK-wide Rural Startup of the Year at 2025.
As LanoTech advance this innovation, they seek stakeholder input to inform the commercialisation plan that ensures successful market adoption.To express an interest to learn more, please contact: Clodagh.Weingart@lanotech.org
Nutrient Recovery for Agriculture
Wastewater generated by food manufacturing factories are a rich source of nutrients.
On-site wastewater treatment processes use synthetic chemicals to aid the separation of solid ‘waste’. This is typically followed by a biological process to consume dissolved ‘waste’, so that water leaving the site falls within discharge consent limits, particularly for phosphate discharge. |
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Pennotec (Pennog Ltd., Y Ffôr) is currently working with South Caernarfon Creameries (SCC) to test and demonstrate a new, Circular Economy approach to food manufacturing wastewater treatment. With support from Welsh Government and Contracts for Innovation Cymru (formally known as SBRI COE), Agri-Food Technology Challenge, Pennotec aims to demonstrate that nutrients useful to farming can be economically recovered from food manufacturing factories and farms.
Pennotec’s unique technology comprises two products from crab shells:
- FloXan® solid/liquid separation aid; a natural chitosan product to replace synthetic chemicals for removing solids from process wastewater.
- Natural adsorbent for removing soluble phosphate and nitrate from the remaining wastewater.
As Pennotec’s technology uses natural, biodegradable and food safe products. The separated nutrient solids and soluble phosphates are not contaminated with synthetic chemicals and can potentially be upcycled into agricultural fertiliser. Use of natural chitosan to aid solid/liquid separation also offers the possibility that in future protein and fats recovered from food factory wastewater could be re-purposed into agricultural feed.
Next steps include exploring the Welsh market for innovative dairy and slurry dewatering solutions. Through hands-on knowledge exchange events with farmers and food producers, Pennog Ltd will shape a strong commercialisation plan to turn this cutting-edge research into real-world impact.
As Pennotec advance this innovation, they seek input from food manufacturers with a potential interest in evaluating the innovative nutrient recovery technology to ensure successful market adoption.To express interest to learn more, please contact us at: jonathan.hughes@pennotec.com
Turning Waste into Colour: Madarch Cymru’s Circular Bioinnovation
Yr Ardd Fadarch Eryr Cyf trading as Madarch Cymru, with the support from Welsh Government and Contracts for Innovation Cymru (formally known as SBRI COE), Agri-Food Technology Challenge, has developed an innovative process that transforms by-products from mushroom farming into natural pigments and bioactive products.
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The WASTE-TO-COLOUR project demonstrates how spent mushroom substrate (SMS) a by-product often discarded after cultivation can become a valuable raw material for producing sustainable, low-carbon colourants. Using a simple, tray-based solid-state fermentation system, the team has successfully grown pigment-producing fungi to yield bright red-orange natural dyes, that have potential applications in |
cosmetics, textiles and natural product formulations.
Phase 2 of the project, scaled production from lab to pilot level. Over 20 kg of SMS has been converted into high-value pigment and enzyme products, validating the process as both technically and environmentally viable. The low-energy, low-solvent approach supports Welsh Government’s circular economy and Net Zero goals by reducing waste and creating opportunities for community-based bio-manufacturing.
Next steps include expanding colour diversity, exploring green and blue pigments from other microbes and developing decentralised “micro-hub” production sites near mushroom farms. Madarch Cymru aims to build a new Welsh bio-materials industry where sustainability and creativity grow side-by-side, supporting local employment and rural innovation. As Madarch advance this innovation, they seek stakeholder input to inform a commercialisation plan that ensures successful market adoption.To express interest to learn more, please contact: Cynan@yrarddfadarch.cymru
This innovative project brings together partners from the private, academic and agricultural sectors in Wales, working towards delivering the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act Ways of Working.
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Explore Export Wales 2026
Thursday 12 March – Cardiff City Stadium
Wednesday 18 March – Venue Cymru, Llandudno
If your business exports or you are interested in trading overseas and would like to know more about the support available, our conference is a must!
Wherever you are on your export journey, Explore Export Wales is a great opportunity for businesses to network with one another; get the latest export news and advice; speak to support organisations; explore overseas opportunities; and discover tools to make your exporting business more effective.
Key elements of the day:
- Plenary session – hear from successful Welsh exporters sharing their experience and useful tips
- One-to-ones with overseas market representatives – delegates can sit down with representatives from overseas markets to explore export opportunities
- Exhibition – supporting organisations from across the Welsh export ecosystem, including finance, legal, logistics, will be on hand to assist your business
- Welsh Government Export Zone – meet our International Trade Advisers and explore our digital support tools
- Export workshops – a selection of talks curated to provide the latest key information and advice on international trade
Learn more and Register.
Turn Health into your Competitive Edge
📍 Online (Microsoft Teams)
📆 Thursday 26 February
🕤 9:30 am
Whether you already offer a healthier food or drink product and want to make the most of its market potential, are considering adding a healthier option to your range, or simply need clarity on what HFSS regulations mean for your business, now is the time to lean in. Health-led demand is accelerating, and understanding how to respond can unlock real growth opportunities for producers and manufacturers across Wales.
Consumer trends and government policies are shifting quickly towards healthier food and drink choices. Retailers and foodservice are also raising the bar, as they’re expected to do more to help improve diets. In this session, we’ll show you why leaning into health isn’t just about ticking a compliance box — it can actually give your business a real competitive edge, no matter what you make.
Book your place using this online form.
Start-up Surgery
Starting a Food & Drink Processing Business?
Join Food Centre Wales’ Start-up Surgeries to explore the facilities, expertise and support available*.
What’s included:
- Short presentation & guided tour
- 1-2-1 with a Food Technologist
- Advice from Cywain & Business Wales
- Refreshments & light lunch
📆18 March 2026
Book your place:
📧 gen@foodcentrewales.org.uk
☎️ 01559 362230
*For eligible food and drink businesses in Wales only
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This newsletter will be our last edition until after the election. Our next issue will be out in June.
Our social media may be a little quieter too throughout April and May.
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