Only the hardy and the brave dare to venture from one end to the other on foot, and those that do look a little worse for wear when they arrive at their intended destination.
Luckily, my first meeting was with Wild, which was only a few metres away from the enormous north entrance glass doors our plucky taxi driver dropped us off at. I was greeted by Wild’s hugely welcoming PR representatives Nicole Kroll and Dr Antje Louis, and we quickly got down to discussing and sampling some of the ingredient company’s latest creations.
The first products I was given to try were a series of innovative, zero calorie energy drinks made with natural ingredients, which came in a variety of interesting flavours such as mojito and elderflower. I was also offered a very tasty ‘brewed lemonade’ beverage named Fassbrause, which is already quite popular in Germany. This is being marketed as a trendsetting drink by Wild and provides a less sweet alternative to the usual sugar-packed soft drinks.
Wild also had a selection of beer mix drinks for me to try, which contained a mixture of juice and either alcoholic or nonalcoholic beer, and a unique fizzy tea beverage made with freshly brewed tea.
When the beverages were in our bellies, I was introduced to Inga Haubold who proceeded to give me a quick rundown of the company’s exploits in the food industry. We talked about the differences in cherry taste preference around the world (did you know that the central Europeans prefer a richer, more almond-tasting cherry than other regions?), the use of mint in chocolate and chewing gum, and the growing trend of natural ingredients in food.
We’re scheduled to see a lot more companies over the next couple of days, so it’s time to get back out in the show and see what else Anuga has to offer.
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