How To Break Into Foodservice - Key Takeaways from our 2026 Summit
Over 300 people came through the doors of the Shoreditch Exchange for this year’s Foodservice Summit and we’re still buzzing!
Thanks for your kind words:
“It was an exciting day. So far, I've already got a very big potential customer, and I'm walking away very happy.” Alex Longton, Tiba Tempeh
“Today’s event provided the perfect opportunity for some great, innovative brands to get in front of the buyers. This is my third year in the pitching zone.” Emma Unwin, Delicious Ideas Food Group
“This event is absolutely incredible for the networking it provides. It enables you to have those conversations and get the answers that you need at a very fast pace. Trust me, I've built my business with relationships.” Julianne Ponan, Creative Nature
One of our main aims is to give brands the chance to pitch and this year, we facilitated 198 pitches in our Pitching Zone! We’re very pleased to hear about new partnerships on the horizon.
Cawston Press, Proper, MOTH, Olly's and MOMA Foods gave us insights into the challenges they faced, lessons learnt and tips for success. We heard pearls of wisdom on unlocking out-of-home channels, the secret recipe for operational success and sales tactics that work. Gategroup, CN Foods, LNER and Delicious Ideas shared their thoughts on how to choose the buyer that works best for your product, what you need to do before you approach a buyer and how to make that all-important connection. Our brand and buyer talks really emphasised how important this relationship is. With 350,000 outlets across a wide range of sub-sectors in foodservice and profits of £95 billion upwards, their advice is worth its weight in gold.
Here are some of the recurring themes from the day:
Make sure you own the IP on your product and recipes.
Work out where your product sits best in the foodservice matrix. Create a shortlist and do your research on those segments, look at what competitors are doing in these spaces and work out what your USP is. Be prepared before you pitch.
Test your product. Look at places that have captive markets like cinemas and theatres. Capture data, gather feedback, build case studies. Test and learn, and repeat.
Is your product practical for the place? Consider unit and case size, does this prevent your product from being displayed easily? Think about pricing and mark-up.
What’s on trend? Product adaptations can work but be careful about cost and waste. Sometimes customer demand doesn’t guarantee success.
Consider seasonal opportunities - looking at places like theme parks and caravan parks. And try to mix this with more reliable year-round opportunities.
Trade shows work for some brands, and not for others. Bread & Jam events are always a brilliant option!
Buyers need to be confident that you can scale but don’t be scared to start small. Take advantage of regional markets first.
Manage your cash flow. Get advice on rebates, retros, and over-riders. Unlike immediate discounts, these incentives are typically paid after a sale has been completed.
People buy from people. Sell yourself first, then sell your product. Once you have a buyer, nurture the relationship, think of creative ways to integrate them with your team. Discuss formats and adaptation with them, invite them to team-building events.
Think about your vision and mission. Your product’s journey is becoming increasingly important to consumers. Align with a distributor and other brands that share your values for long term success.
Our buyers’ favourite brands from our Producers’ Table were Roly Poly by Kidnetics, Fava Bean Snacks by The Honest Bean Co, Pineapple Cakes by Lunar Bakes and the Cheese & Crunch range by SMUG Dairy, with the overall winner being Miss Kim’s Lotus Root Bugak and Sea Salt Sea Salt Nurungji- congrats!
Thanks as always to our headline sponsor, Joelson, to our speakers, exhibitors and everyone who came along.
Next up is the Bread & Jam Startup Summit on 20th May, then the biggest event of the year for FMCG challenger brands, the Bread & Jam Festival on 14th and 15th July. Grab your tickets now.