THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
For Italian food professionals, pizza-focused operators and casual dining groups, this three-day showcase offers a rare opportunity to explore both authentic Italian ingredients and the wider systems shaping modern hospitality.
The event portfolio unites IFE, IFE Manufacturing, HRC, The Pub Show, Hospitality Tech360 and International Salon Culinaire under one roof, allowing visitors to move easily between product discovery, operational insight and future-facing discussion. For those in the Italian sector, the strength of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week lies in this crossover: ingredients and provenance sit alongside technology, service models and consumer behaviour.
Producers and consortia from key Italian regions celebrate products central to their menus, from olive oil and flour to cheese, cured meats and specialist pizza ingredients. Exhibitors include Fratelli D’Acunzi, a specialist producer of preserved tomatoes and pizza ingredients; Molino Braga, supplying soft wheat flours for pizza, baking and pastry; and Pasta Berruto, one of Italy’s long-established dried pasta manufacturers with a strong foodservice and private label presence.
Dairy and charcuterie are also well represented, with Corte Parma Alimentare showcasing Parmigiano Reggiano and Emilia-Romagna specialities; Jomi presenting mascarpone and dairy products for pastry and professional kitchens; and Veroni bringing its premium cured meats, including mortadella, to UK buyers. Olive oil takes centre stage via producers and consortia such as Frantoio Paparella, ATI Collegio Toscano degli Olivicoltori OL.MA, and ATI Olio di Roma IGP e Sabina DOP, offering insights into provenance, quality and export-focused ranges.
Alongside core ingredients, Italian specialities extend into condiments, preserved vegetables and premium flavourings. Giusti Balsamic Vinegar, the oldest balsamic producer in Modena, appears alongside brands such as Tomadini, Calzetti, Truffleat and Antico Eremo Company, whose ranges cover antipasti, sauces and gourmet additions suited to the traditional and contemporary. Coffee and beverages are represented by Caffè Boasi, while dessert, gelato and pastry professionals can catch up with Canditfrucht Spa/Orange Moon and Igino Mazzola.
Plus, there are UK-based brands such as PizzaSi, supplier of artisan pizza bases and speciality breads, and Action Foods, who provide Championi Toppings and The Smiling Cook range of IQF pre-cooked pastas and ambient sauces. Popular restaurant brand Emilia’s Crafted Pasta will offer premium, traditionally made dried pasta, while La Tua Pasta are renowned for fresh pasta made overnight across London, as well as longer-life pasteurised pasta and IQF formats.
TECH ADVANTAGE
Beyond ingredients, there is a strong emphasis on how Italian food businesses operate in practice. Making its debut is Hospitality Tech360, bringing technology into focus, with sessions grounded in real operator experience rather than abstract innovation. Pizza brands feature prominently across the programme, offering rare insight into how established operators are approaching digital transformation.
Ross Pyres, customer technology director at PizzaExpress, is scheduled to appear in the session ‘Bespoke vs. off-the-shelf: Cracking the code of hospitality tech integration’, alongside David Broom, CTO at Prezzo, Brunning & Price IT Director Kieron Williams, and moderator Chris Fletcher of Tech on Toast. Key discussion points include how how to balance custom-built solutions with off-the-shelf platforms, with Pyres sharing first-hand experience of how data integration can drive efficiency, empower teams and improve customer experience.
Pizza Pilgrims also features heavily across Hospitality Tech360’s programme. CEO Gavin Smith is taking in ‘Culture eats software for breakfast: Why leadership still determines tech success’, examining why organisational mindset and leadership remain central to technology adoption. Head of people and engagement, Oli Cavaliero, will discuss the brand’s innovation project in ‘Meet Joshua: Pizza Pilgrims’ AI teammate’, while operations director, Tom Smith, joins the ‘Ops Club…The operator tech buyer playbook’, alongside operators from House of Gods, Roxy’s and Bubala.
STREET LIFE
HRC, the hospitality-focused pillar of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, combines sourcing with front-of-house, equipment and service-led content. For 2026, it introduces a new Street Food Section and Street Food Stage, with content curated by NCASS. A Street Food Salon also features as part of International Salon Culinaire, highlighting culinary skill alongside commercial foodservice.
HRC’s seminar programme addresses changing consumer behaviour and dining occasions, including sessions on families, health and social habits. Jo Lynch of KAM will host a panel on dining with children and encouraging repeat visits, featuring operators from Butcombe Group, Big Table Group, Bistrot Pierre and Gusto. Meanwhile, a panel moderated by Austen Bushrod of Splendid Hospitality Group examines how GLP-1 weight loss injections could influence future eating, drinking and socialising habits.
Wine, an essential component of Italian dining, also features strongly. Judith Lambeth of WSET will host an interactive wine tasting session, offering insight into current and emerging trends across the sector.
For Italian brands looking to expand internationally, ICE – the Italian Trade Agency – will be present, reinforcing the show’s role as a platform for both UK buyers and global producers.
A spokesperson for the Agency said: “During IFE, OpportunItaly will showcase its Buyers Club, a unique initiative developed to create a direct bridge between UK buyers and Italian sellers. Promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and ITA, Italian Trade Agency, OpportunItaly is the business acceleration program designed to foster international partnerships and boost the global presence of Made in Italy excellence.”
Food, Drink & Hospitality Week offers a comprehensive snapshot of the forces shaping Italian foodservice today. From authentic raw materials and specialist equipment to technology, leadership and changing consumer expectations, the event provides Italian food professionals with both inspiration and actionable insight across three packed days at Excel London.
Find out more about everything happening as part of this year’s event, and secure your free trade ticket, as hrc.co.uk.
