Three thrilling days of the Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition (ADIFE), which brought a global audience to explore innovative food industry perspectives, are coming to an end.

In order to advance the future development of the food industry, Day Three of the Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition (ADIFE) closed an amazing exhibition and conference that drew thousands of attendees, hundreds of brands and exhibitors, and numerous industry leaders from the government, industry, agriculture, and food and beverage (F&B) sectors.

The second edition of the exhibition, which was organised by ADNEC Group in strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and took place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre over three extremely productive days, promoted new innovations and resulted in significant new business deals, was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ADAFSA. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which has an exhibition floor area of approximately 28,400 square metres, was crowded with exhibitors from over 50 nations, 12 of which were taking part for the first time.

Deals & Agreements

Over the course of the previous three days, ADIFE has further solidified its status as a global hub for business and government innovation in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, with partnerships and agreements totalling AED 3.9 billion. On the last day of the show, more agreements were signed by public and commercial organisations present at ADIFE.

Hosted buyers and sellers have continued to conduct business talks and create partnerships at the dedicated, exclusive lounge during the second Hosted Buyers Lounge edition. 3966 meetings have been held during this year's ADIFE, demonstrating the organization's active role in bringing F&B buyers and suppliers to Abu Dhabi and fostering networking and business prospects.

Major buyers and sellers have found this year's show to be successful, and the various agreements and conversations that have taken place are evidence of the sector's growing significance on a local, regional, and global scale. Small and medium-sized businesses and multinational conglomerates alike can exhibit the newest food and beverage products at the event and investigate business and investment options that could spur expansion and open up new markets.

ADIFE CONVERSES

Day three's ADIFE talks, themed "Developing the Next Generation "Agripreneur," began with an educational presentation by Priti Pal of Symvision AI. She described how cutting-edge new technology can be used to predict consumer demand by monitoring global trends as well as customers' emotional and functional needs. The lead researcher at ADAFSA, Dr. Hanan Afifi, then gave a presentation on food consumption in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, emphasising the value of survey data for planning and policy development. The ADAFSA Partnership and Investment Office Specialist Amna Al Sabaa spoke about funding and investment options in the agri-food industry. The Expert Talk on New Agri-Food Innovation in the Food Sector was the next item on the schedule. Feras Al Soufi, General Manager at Emirates Crop One, and Avinash Ratta, CEO of Grainvelocity, led an insightful conversation.

Caroline Kolta, Programme Director of XPRIZE, gave a presentation on the objectives and selection standards for the challenge-based funding case study titled "Feed the Next Billion" after the morning sessions. The non-profit goal of the XPRIZE foundation, which aims to promote technical advancement for the good of humanity through competitive incentives, is furthered by this endeavour. The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council's Dr. Simon Miller, a specialist in conformity programmes, then spoke about how to handle new foods and the legal requirements for entering the UAE and the surrounding area's markets.

Dr. Hanan Ali Hamood Al Gaai, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Woman Development Organisation, gave a talk on "Empowering Women in the Agriculture: Fostering a New Era of Visionary Entrepreneurs" as part of the Talk's afternoon sessions. Avinash Ratta of Grainvelocity and Edwar Hamod, CEO and Founder of Switch meals, talked about the sustainability of plant-based meals in enhancing human diets. Shabab Ibrahim, Head of Sales at The Cloud, then went on to discuss how businesses and entrepreneurs may get into the cloud food brand market. The Ishraq Programme Showcase on "Empowering the next generation" brought the day's talks to a close. It showcased the programme as a community-based endeavour that emphasised the development of new leadership skills as well as freedom of expression and mobility as necessary components of empowerment.

The Championship of the Brewers Cup

The UAE National Brewers Cup Championship, which brought together the best brewers in the world to showcase their talent, inventiveness, and love of coffee, was one of the highlights of this year's show. There were sixteen brewers that competed in all, and the championship provided a forum for information exchange, the discovery of fresh trends, and the celebration of the vibrant coffee culture. A panel of judges evaluated the competitors in the Brewers Cup Championship over the course of the three days of ADIFE. They ranked them based on a number of criteria, such as the time of the brew, the way the brewers prepared particular beans, the aroma of the finished cup, their overall presentation, and, most importantly, the taste of the coffee.

Frederick Bejo of Archers won first place in the UAE National Brewers Cup Competition after the final judging on Day Three of ADIFE. This remarkable accomplishment demonstrated the extremely narrow margins for victory considering the calibre of the other brewers competing at the event. Frederick Bejo will represent the United Arab Emirates in upcoming high-profile international coffee competitions. These competitions will include the Copenhagen World Coffee Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Copenhagen in June 2024, and the Busan World Coffee Championships, a preeminent worldwide event of its kind that will also feature the World Barista Championship.

Baristas from many different nations competed in a series of challenges at this year's UAE National Brewers Cup Championship at ADIFE, which aimed to test the limits of coffee brewing. In addition to being a competition, the championship was a celebration of the craft of coffee, giving guests a chance to see the labor-intensive methods and passion that go into making each cup. Thus, the Brewers Cup Championship showcased the art of hand-brewing filter coffee to the highest levels of perfection.

The Hub for Pizza

On the third day, the Pizza Hub Competition came to an end, capping off the new culinary competition at ADIFE that celebrated the art of pizza. World-class chefs showcased their skills, delved into uncharted territory in pizza cuisine, and provided an international viewpoint on this time-honored favourite for the benefit of industry insiders, culinary trailblazers, and exhibition goers. Participants got to try a variety of pizzas, from traditional Neapolitan to creative variations that emphasised the adaptability and attractiveness of this popular food worldwide. Competitions, live demonstrations, and lectures were all part of the extensive schedule.

The deserving winner was Mario Federici from Antonia, whose creations embodied the creativity and talent that ADIFE honours. The ADIFE Pizza Hub Competition has highlighted the exhibition's vital role in promoting connections throughout the globe's culinary landscape, underscoring its worldwide reach and significance within the international pizza scene.

Global Culinary Exhibition

On the third day of ADIFE, the World Gourmet Show, which features Michelin Star chefs from all over the world showcasing their highly trained culinary expertise in creating signature dishes for the amusement of a receptive audience, continued to be a big favourite.

Elevation The International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA), a top TVET school in Abu Dhabi that offers award-winning learning experiences to aspiring chefs, artisans, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and other countries, witnessed the opening of the ICCA Cooking competition. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA). With some of the most promising up-and-coming chefs in the United Arab Emirates, the contestants made the most of their chance to showcase their abilities in front of a group of respected judges from the food industry. The students were split into three teams, and each team had an hour to produce a dish after having five minutes to choose their premium ingredients and one mystery ingredient. Due to ADIFE's emphasis on sustainability and decreasing food waste in the culinary and cooking industries, the chefs were required to come up with unique and inventive ways to utilise each component they chose. Team Two emerged victorious from the ICCA Competition, comprised of Joemar Idios and local Emirati Maitha Ahmed Mohamed Abdulla Alshamsi, who won over the judges with their skill and knowledge throughout the competition.