BioFach and Vivaness: a review

The Country of the Year, the Netherlands, presented itself colourfully and self-confidently. People marvelled at the growing variety of vegan food that was there on display in its own new Experience the World of Vegan. Traditionally, Hall 7A has been reserved for Vivaness and therefore for natural cosmetics and the exhibition space was fully booked, even though a number of manufactures were not present this year. With you in mind, the bio-markt.info team had a good look round BioFach and Vivaness and discovered a lot to report on. By visiting the picture gallery you’ll get an impression of the many sections and halls at the this leading trade fair worldwide -  so you can review much of what went on during the exhibition.

More exhibitors, visitors and space

As NürnbergMesse has announced, BioFach and Vivaness registered an increase in visitors of over 5 % and a rise in the number of exhibitors of 3.6 % to 2,344. The total exhibition area measured over 44,600m² - expansion of 5.1 %. All the indicators pointed to growth, which was reflected in the mood of the exhibitors too. The trends established in advance by the fair - free-from and vegan products – proved to be spot-on. This year’s conference, with 100 events, was attended this year by around 7,000 visitors. The Specialist Trade Centre, that had again been set up specially for the German wholefood trade and offered fascinating lectures and facilities for discussion, attracted many actors from across the industry. Tours offered by bio verlag on various themes were also an opportunity for retailers to seek and find inspiration.

Picture: Retailers getting information during tours of the fair at, for example, the stands of various oil manufacturers - in this case Fandler. Photo Karin Heinze

The Country of the Year, the Netherlands, full of confidence

The Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Sharon Dijksma, not only took time to talk to many representatives from the German and European political scene and from associations but also to exhibitors (see our earlier report). The Dutch market has been experiencing strong growth: on the domestic market, sales of organics rose by 9 %, and exports expanded by as much as 11 % from €826m to €938m (we have already reported on this development). In their export business, the Dutch have been particularly successful with cereals, nuts, dried fruit juices and oils that registered a rise of €313m. In second and third place were the rising exports of fruit (€230m) and glasshouse-grown vegetables. At BioFach, Holland was represented by about 100 firms whose strengths were in the spotlight: fruit, vegetables, biscuits, cheese and dairy products plus their trade in raw materials. The scene: rich in colour and with a great variety, and a splendid abundance of tulips of many shades and typical kinds of fruit and vegetables. A special highlight was the EcoDome on the trade fair site, a pavilion with a futuristic look.

Vivaness: the meeting place for natural cosmetics experts

The natural cosmetics Hall 7A was fully booked. The space vacated by one of the big exhibitors (Lavera) was quickly filled - NürnbergMesse even registered more exhibitors at Vivaness than last year. And there was no lack of new products: you could see 150 on the New Products stand and judge them yourself. With the big joint stands of France and Italy, the presence of Natura Siberica (Russia), Beraca, Surya and OrganicsBrazil (Brazil), the impression you got of the Vivaness hall was indeed international. This is confirmed by the numbers: of the 204 exhibitors, 66 % came from 30 different countries. According to the plans of the organizers of BioFach, next year Vivaness is to be given more space in a new hall and also a new concept, so that it will be able to do even more justice to the dynamic development of the market.

Picture: Natural hair dyes from India were presented by Radico at Vivaness. Photo Karin Heinze

The German market has exceeded the billion euros threshold for the first time and last year it recorded growth of nearly 10 %. A large number of manufacturers responded to the vegan trend: around 70 of the 200 natural cosmetics exhibitors had vegan products on display. The fact that natural cosmetics and vegan cosmetics aimed specifically at vegans are core themes is confirmed by the initial results of the market research institute pollion that Dr. Nicolas Scharioth presented at Vivaness. The study is to be published at the end of March.

Picture: The firm Styx in Austria is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. During the fair, an artist painted the rear wall of the stand. Photo Karin Heinze

Vegan products as drivers of growth

According to the German trade panel Biovista, last year the drivers of growth in the specialist wholefood trade were vegan spreads, milk substitute products (soya, oat and rice milk), oil seeds (especially chia seeds), nuts and nut spreads, with which the German specialist trade generated up to 35 % more turnover than the year before. “Vegan is booming as never before,” said Fabian Ganz from Biovista . In 2014, on average shops raised their turnover with products containing no ingredients of animal origin by 10.5 %. Walking round the fair, you could see that more and more companies were indeed offering vegan products. This year, 730 manufacturers presented an offer of animal-free products.

Vegan gastronomy increasingly important

Visitors could find out about another aspect that is becoming increasingly important in gastronomy:  vegan cuisine as part of the training of chefs, because trainees still have to cover all aspects if they want to pass their exam. This includes dealing with meat and fish. But now there is rising demand for chefs who work with plant products, the reason being that the vegan trend is now playing a big role in restaurants too.
This is the point of Vegucation, which is an association of eight organizations from various countries. The project’s mission: “Preparing chefs for the changing requirements of our guests” – with expertise, teaching materials and training sessions. Chefs who have undergone this kind of specialization demonstrated their skills with show cooking. They included Björn Moschinski – now a real star in the vegan scene.

Picture: Vegan chef Björn Moschinski was at BioFach, with the media showing a keen interest. Photo Karin Heinze