Exhibitor Spotlight – Redmond Fine Foods

​Ireland’s largest foodservice trade event – CATEX – will return to the RDS, Dublin next February, providing thousands of visitors with products, services and solutions that meet today’s demands for those operating within the foodservice and hospitality sectors.
 
Running from 26th - 28th February, CATEX is the essential platform for visitors to source new products, generate new business and learn about innovative trends set to shape the Irish food and drink industry over the coming years. Among the melting pot of exhibitors will be Irish owned Redmond Fine Foods.

Established in 2004, Redmond Fine Foods is a specialist wholesale food company that procure and market exceptional food ingredients and finished goods and distribute to culinary professionals throughout Ireland.  Ahead of CATEX I chatted to Rocky Redmond, Director of Redmond Fine Foods to talk about all thing’s food and hospitality.  
 
“We are thrilled to be exhibiting at CATEX next year, as it really is the one show that connects you to the decision makers in the foodservice and hospitality industries, and for us, it gives us the opportunity to showcase our products to the Irish market and pick up important new contacts” 
Comments Rocky Redmond.
 
1.      How long has Redmond Fine Foods been involved with CATEX?  
This will be our third time hosting a stand at CATEX. We love it - as the show grows and develops, our own stand matures and grows stronger. Tuesday 26th – Thursday 28th February 2019, it's an exciting date in the calendar for us.  
 
2.      Why do you continue to support the show? What does it deliver for your business?   
We support CATEX because it makes good commercial sense. We generate great awareness about our own story and brand, and the strong partnerships we forge with producers and suppliers. It’s our opportunity to exhibit a range of fabulous products, and we want visitors to our stand to know the support they can expect when they work with Redmond Fine Foods. This offering is central to our business and CATEX is the perfect platform to showcase this. 
 
3.      What key foodservice trends do you think will impact the commercial kitchen and hospitality industry in the coming years? 
Consistency is the one constant necessary for a trend to become a long-term opportunity. Such an opportunity, from our perspective, is the outsourcing of certain key areas of a kitchen environment. A good example of this is the outsourcing of specialist butchery operations and the delivery of pre-portioned product or the outsourcing of various outputs, from pastry kitchens such as petit fours to other bakery products such as breads.
 
4.   What trend, challenge or opportunity do you think will impact the foodservice and hospitality industry most in 2019?  
There are many opportunities and challenges for our industry in the years ahead and the team at Redmond Fine Foods takes this responsibility very seriously. Sustainability and responsible sourcing of products and ingredients will be an absolute requirement as the market adjusts to a very finite availability of resources. A holistic approach to procurement is now an obligation.
Another challenge to overcome is the ever-growing shortage of skilled personnel across all sectors of the hospitality industry, and the direct impact this has on businesses.
 
5.      How important is CATEX to you and the sector?  
CATEX gets bigger every year as does the investment in stands and show product promotions, and this is testament to how important CATEX is to the industry. As mentioned, this is our third year exhibiting at CATEX and we return alongside many other show stalwarts who clearly see the benefits of having a stand at the show.
 
Exhibiting at CATEX is an opportunity to see first-hand what trends remain popular, what new innovations are emerging and what direction the sector is moving in.
 
6.      What are you most looking forward to about CATEX 2019?  
The best part of CATEX is being able to catch up and speak with our current customers and the chance to meet so many new clients, all under one roof, which is fantastic! We are very proud of the products, ingredients and the brands that we represent so we always welcome the opportunity to showcase them. 
 
7.      What’s your current best seller?  
It is difficult to name one product or brand as we invest a lot of resources into selecting them for our customers. At CATEX we are showcasing a snapshot of products and brands we feel are market relevant - Rick Higgins, Liffey Meats, Taste Tradition, Sosa Ingredients, Cacao Barry and various other selected products – each of which represents a best in class for the market. 
 
8.      Are there any exciting new products that you’d like to highlight ahead of the show?  
2019 is going to be a very exciting year for Redmond Fine Foods! We will be showcasing many exciting products, but for the moment we will be keeping this under wraps until the show opens on Tuesday 26th February. So, come and visit our stand to see first hand what these products are!
 
9.      Describe CATEX in three words 
We can do four words: Food, Food, Glorious Food!
 
 
CATEX 2019 is taking place from Tuesday 26th February to Thursday 28th February at the RDS, Simmonscourt. If you are in the foodservice, catering or hospitality industry then CATEX is your most important date of the year! Make sure you’re part of it. 
 
To secure exhibitor space at the event, please call EventHaus on 01 846 0020 or see www.catexexhibition.com