Ireland’s largest foodservice and hospitality event, CATEX, has opened its doors at the RDS Simmonscourt, and with more and more businesses in the sectors taking steps to decrease their carbon footprint, the theme of sustainability is set to be high on the agenda.
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Event Details
Home to over 220 exhibitors, from Ireland’s biggest names in foodservice to artisanal producers, the show is expected to attract 12,000 visitors from the foodservice, hospitality and catering sectors over three days.
A recent global survey conducted by Bord Bia reported that 72% of trade buyers stated, “It’s important to have suppliers with strong sustainability credentials,” with 71% of Irish consumers stating, “Buying more sustainably produced products will become more important in the next three years,” confirming the importance of sustainability and changing mindsets within the industry. It reinforces Bord Bia’s findings, which highlighted ‘operating with a conscience is the expectation, not the exception,’ as a critical issue facing foodservice in Ireland.
An early adopter in sourcing sustainable products, McCabe’s Coffee, based in Wicklow, was the first Irish coffee roaster to offer a collection service to recycle every bag of coffee that it supplies to cafes, restaurants and businesses across Ireland. The used bags are fully recycled into watering cans, plant pots, pallets and park benches, with the company also now planting over 3,000 trees per year, making it the first carbon-negative coffee roastery in Ireland.
CATEX exhibitor Stephen McCabe, managing director of McCabe’s Coffee, added, “Sustainability is at the forefront of our business, as we strive to roast world-class coffee whilst minimising the negative impact on the planet for our generation and for the future generations to come.
“Promoting sustainability within business is vitally important. We all must make a collective effort to mitigate the challenges of the climate crisis, and only by playing an active role in making our businesses more sustainable can we hope to make a real difference. The team at McCabe’s Coffee is really looking forward to this year’s CATEX exhibition, where we can tell industry peers and potential customers all about our sustainable product offering.”
Other exhibitors committed to serving up sustainable solutions and new, innovative products include Frylite Solutions, Ireland’s leading supplier of fresh cooking oil and certified collector of waste. Its mission is to help chefs to run cleaner, safer, and more sustainable kitchens. As such, the used cooking oil collected is recycled into biofuels and the collection of food waste is processed to create biogas and biofertiliser.
Ille Service (Irl) Ltd will be showcasing its Paper Jack dispensers, which can reduce hand towel usage by up to 84%, while Almotech’s digital signage and audio advertising solutions replace the need for unnecessary printing and allow companies to communicate with their customers in an interactive and engaging manner.
Love Struck smoothies is a certified B Corp company, placing it among an elite group of businesses that have achieved the highest environmental and social standards to reduce impacts on people and the planet in their supply chain, and will be at the Henderson Foodservice stand across the three days at CATEX.
From local food products to packaging, machinery and tech, companies across Ireland are pivoting their product offering to provide more sustainable options, and many are making their debut at CATEX. This offers visitors the unique opportunity to discover innovative products and cost-saving, sustainable solutions for their business, all under the one roof.
CATEX, an IFSA event, supported by Bunzl McLaughlin and Calor, will play host to a range of events over the three days, from chef masterclasses to industry insights. CATEX is also home to the National Barista Championships, the Irish Latte Art Championships, and a new hospitality cost clinic, and it features three days of sizzling competitions, including the highly sought-after Chef Ireland Culinary Competitions.
Dates And Registration
CATEX runs from 21 to 23 February 2023 at the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. A business-to-business event, you can register to attend CATEX for free at www.catexexhibition.com.
© 2023 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
