Catalonia takes part in Alimentaria under the World Region of Gastronomy banner

Barcelona will once again become southern Europe's food industry capital with a new edition of the Alimentaria trade fair, from 18 to 21 March, where Catalonia will have a broad business and institutional presence under the banner World Region of Gastronomy 2025. 

The spirit of this award will take shape through a main space (Hall 5, D375) reflecting the culinary model and values that have made Catalonia the first European region to receive this distinction. Catalonia will thus present itself at Alimentaria as a world-leading food and wine region, with food of excellence in terms of quality, tradition, innovation and health, and a culinary identity of its own that also drives more responsible, socially fairer and territorially more balanced tourism. 

So, the more than 25 cooking demonstrations, talks and presentations held in the Catalonia World Region of Gastronomy 2025 space will focus on Catalonia's culinary and gastronomic landscape and the producers, chefs and agri-food professionals who define it and have made this recognition possible.   

The programme of the Catalonia World Region of Gastronomy 2025 space will revolve around local produce, gastronomy and the Catalan agri-food business community. Over the four days of Alimentaria, the stand will host chefs of the stature of Carles Gaig, Paco Solé Parellada, Marc Grivé, Joseba Cruz, Eduard Aliberch, Sergi de Meià, Alf Mota, Albert Guzman, Marta Minoves, Pau Sintés and Júlia Caparrós, along with food writers and experts such as Pep Nogué (Catalan PGI-PDO Federation), Toni Massanés (Alícia Foundation), Nit Dolcet (Catalan Academy of Gastronomy), Agustí Romero (IRTA), Xavier Pàmies (PGI Pa de Pagès Català) and Dr Eduard Escrich i Escriche. The programme also includes talks on the more social side of gastronomy, such as "Essència del Delta" with the Dones Arrosseres del Delta cooperative and the "Cuina de territori sostenible" demonstration  with Marta Minoves, Catalonia's best young chef 2024.

For more information, you can consult the programme of the Catalonia World Region of Gastronomy 2025 space at the following link. 

Innovation and food join hands at the INNOVA.cat space

The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia, through the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), will have the Innova.cat space (Hall 5, D374), which aims to give a voice to all the companies working on innovation in the agri-food sector.

The stand will feature a programme of talks on the future challenges facing various Catalan agri-food sectors such as olive oil, dairy and meat, plus sustainability proposals coming from the territory, with particular emphasis on efficient water use in the food industry. The talks will feature leading companies, associations and professionals from both the agri-food and innovation fields. 

The Innova.cat space has set aside a day, 19 March, giving 20 startups the chance to present their project and value proposition to food companies and investors from around the world. In addition, 8 of these Catalan startups will have exhibition space throughout the four days of the fair.

An international showcase for Catalan companies

This year more than 375 Catalan companies will take part in Alimentaria 2024, 60 of them in the various Catalonia pavilions organised by Prodeca. This grouped participation aims to present Catalonia internationally and showcase the agri-food sector in three of the fair's shows this year. 

The show with the most companies under Prodeca's umbrella is the Lands of Spain pavilion, with 45 Catalan companies — close to 10% of the exhibitors there, across 6,000m² of exhibition space showcasing the latest food trends and the culinary and cultural wealth of the agri-food industry worldwide.

Prodeca will also be present at the Intercarn and Interlact shows, the leading meat and dairy shows, where three and seven companies respectively will exhibit under Prodeca's umbrella. At Intercarn the space will host a showcooking programme led by chef Joseba Cruz, the nomadic chef of Le Clandestin, who will use his dishes to showcase the potential of the meat sector, Catalonia's leading food sector and its main agri-food export driver.

 List of Catalan companies under Prodeca's umbrella:

Lands of Spain:
•    A MAR •    ALFONSO TORRES •    ANELA •    APERITIUS CATALANS •    AVGVSTVS FORVM •    BADIA VINAGRES •    BALLARÀ •    BETARA •    BRINDISA •    CAN BECH  •    CONFIGIRONA •    COSELVA •    DOP SIURANA •    DULCILIGHT •    ECOBASICS •    EDMA FOODS •    EL TRULL / MASETPLANA •    EXQUISITARIUM •    FINCA LA NOGUERA •    FRUITS SECS DE LES GARRIGUES •    FRUITS SECS TORRA •    GBECH •    GRAU NUTS	•    HAPPY-LAB •    ICF •    JUST THIS •    LA GRANJA  •    LABOREM DERTUSA •    LLET NOSTRA •    MASDEU •    OLIS SOLE •    PATATAS TORRES •    PRIORAT NATUR •    ROUREMAR •    SALIM •    SALSES FRUITS •    SANT ANIOL •    SANT TIRS •    STADIUM INNOVATION •    TERRA FRUITS •    TERRALL DE SANT ISIDRE •    TORRONS I MEL ALEMANY •    TRIAS  •    UNIO NUTS + TERRA FRUITS •    VITAE KOMBUCHA
Interlact:
•    LACTICS UBACH •    FORMATGES MUNTANYOLA •    BADÓ •    CAL QUITÈRIA	•    PERALADA MAS MARCÈ •    MONTBRÚ •    SANT GIL D’ALBIÓ
Intercarn:
•    CAN CALET •    CASA RIERA ORDEIX  •    ELAN

Creating new international business opportunities

This year Prodeca will once again organise the International Buyers Programme, aimed at fostering business meetings between Catalan companies and buyers from international markets. More than 1,000 B2B meetings are planned between 60 Catalan companies and 20 buyers from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the United States, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru and Uruguay. The meetings, in a 20-minute interview format for making first commercial contact and letting Catalan companies present their products, have been scheduled in advance by Prodeca according to the interests and needs expressed by the international importers.