Exhibitors praise quality of show

After the first three hours of the show - which was held at Olympia on 21 and 22 May - Adrian Apodaca, marketing director of organic and free-from specialist Honeyrose Bakery, said: "This is the best show for producing leads.

"We have already had two good enquiries from the north."

The Village Bakery, Melmerby also noticed an upswing in interest in its gluten-free bread, cake and biscuit lines. Marketing manager Lindsay Williams and key account manager of the Village Bakery, Melmerby, said: "Almost 95% of our leads this first morning have been for gluten-free."

Parry Hughes-Morgan of the Handmade Cake Company thought Caffè Culture was "a great show", saying the firm had been "swamped with enquiries" about its products, including new lines chocolate cornflake slice and blueberry and lemon drizzle cake. Three weeks ago, the company opened a new 32,000sq ft factory and has now received orders from Finland and Norway.

Pullins Bakery, a first-time exhibitor this year, used its stand to maximum effect, showing speciality breads aimed at coffee shops, delis and catering companies. Although Pullins has three craft shops, most of its business is now wholesale and it has picked up airline accounts in the last 18 months.

Devesh Patel, head of business development at Middlesex- based Packaging Environmental, thought the first morning of the show was quiet on his stand, but a spokeswoman for Caffè Culture's organisers said while the event was audited for the first time this year, they think that attendance was the same or slightly up 2007.

Next year's event will again be held at Kensington's Olympia.

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