Exclusive: UK pavilion for ISM packed full of confectionery talents

This year’s ISM is expected to bring plenty of on-trend sweet treats our way, including from the UK pavilion. Karen Beston, of group organising team, PS8, explores highlights with editor Neill Barston.

The UK pavilion at ISM in Cologne has shown its resilience in recent years through navigating post-pandemic conditions, as well as the complexities of Brexit trading hurdles.

But the 2025 contingent is in a notably strong position, having hit the 50 exhibitor mark, which is as strong as it has ever been in recent years, underlining the event’s clear export potential.

As Karen Beston, of PS8, which is behind this year’s UK group revealed, there’s a tangible sense of anticipation about the trade fair, which will feature a mix of exciting ‘new’ exhibitors as well as well-established brands serving the global sector.

‘ISM is such a vital trade fair for the confectionery sector and UK is once again strongly represented with over 50 incredible companies exhibiting this year to showcase the very best of UK’s key strengths of innovation, heritage and quality. We know that UK brands are highly valued and continue to attract global interest.

“The considerable price increases for many of the raw ingredients used in bakery and confectionery products has been particularly challenging over the past year, so producers have had to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions, noted Karen.

She added: “However, UK producers are tremendously resilient and resourceful and continue to offer excellent products for retail, foodservice and gifting. With FDEA’s support, through our network of market specialists and expert service providers, this will ensure all exhibitors can maximise the opportunities presented by attending this hugely influential event.’

As Karen enthused, there’s a host of up-and-coming names in the sector from the UK, including: Handmade Speciality Products, delivering an extensive range of quality, traditional, handcrafted bakery snacks, as a one-stop bakery supply partner offering a broad range of product capabilities.

Meanwhile, Olly’s delicious snacks places health at the centre of its creations, while creating flavour experiences that will blow your snacking socks off. For its part, Savoursmith’s a luxury snack brand redefining the humble potato crisp with bold flavours, indulgent ingredients, and a touch of eccentricity.

Another returnee for 2025, is the North East’s Sweetdreams Ltd specialising in high-quality chocolate confectionery, crafting panned products and chocolate bar depositing. At the heart of the portfolio is the iconic Choc Nibbles brand, celebrated for its distinctive appeal, irresistible flavours and all year round, category leading value.

 

Reids of Caithness has taken pride in crafting each biscuit to exacting standards of taste, texture, and quality with only the highest-quality ingredients, while OV Group manufactures high-quality chocolate and caramel products along with a wide selection of inclusions for the B2B market. In addition, award winning Well & Truly’s wickedly addictive crisps have bold flavours and strong health credentials, plus oat milk chocolate with indulgent inclusions are crafted with 43 per cent fino de aroma single-origin cocoa & smooth oat milk for a rich, creamy experience.

Major chocolate presence
There’s plenty of representation on the chocolate front, including Cocoba, creating exquisite real hot chocolate, as well as

Beech’s Confectionery, specialising in fine chocolates, truffles and pralines using Fairtrade Cocoa and all natural ingredients. Intriguingly, Gnaw Chocolate creates unique bars and flavours such as New York Cheesecake, velvety gooey hot chocolate spoons, and Mocha Melts.

West Sussex’s Montezuma’s also delivers flavour-packed chocolate using the finest ingredients. Notably, UP UP is the world’s first chocolate to be certified by slavefreetrade, and Otherly is chocolate for those who embrace those little things that make them unique.

Furthermore, there are other gems including London-based luxury chocolate specialist, Melt Chocolates, plus Walkers Chocolates’ with a wide range of chocolate and confectionery products includes thins, moulded, bars, sugar coated, dairy-free, assortments and gifting.

In addition, Willie’s Cacao create beautiful, pure flavours of chocolate, craft made ‘bean to bar’ from the world’s finest single estate cacaos and 100 per cent natural ingredients, and Love Cocoa, led by James Cadbury, which has celebrated expansion with the opening of its first retail store.

Bakery and biscuits represents another strong area for the UK, including Campbells Shortbread, a seventh generation family business. Others in the sector include Grandma Wilds, another cherished family company with over a century of manufacturing.

For its part, Artisan Biscuits makes crackers, biscuits and partners for cheese, while Cartwright & Butler specialise in the crumbliest, butteriest biscuits, indulgent preserves and chutneys, rich confectionery and luxurious cakes.

Dean’s of Huntly bake premium shortbread, biscuits and savoury cheese bites for retail, foodservice, private label and gifting. While Ferrero-linked Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC-UK), combines generations of experience in baking biscuits and iconic brands including Wagon Wheels, Fox’s biscuits and Maryland Cookies.

Family-run Shortbread House of Edinburgh have won over 100 Great Taste Awards which is more than any other Scottish shortbread bakery. Buckingham Cakes supply a range of English fruit cakes beautifully packaged for strong gift appeal, while Kingsbake offers vegetarian and vegan friendly options.

Notably, Scotland’s Walker’s Shortbread will be in celebratory mood after gaining its latest Royal Warrant from King Charles III. In terms of savoury snacks, some of the key highlights include AIB Foods, as well as HIPPEAS chickpea snacks designed for the on-the-go market, as well as Joe’s Gourmet Foods, using the finest natural ingredients, providing a unique taste experience.

Confectionery and sweets
Within wider confectionery segments, Buttermilk Confections returns with its award-winning sweets made with plants, including chocolate bars, traditional handmade artisan Cornish Fudge, Honeycomb and Brittle.

Meanwhile, Candy Kittens gourmet sweets offer big flavours, honest ingredients and no nasties, led by screen presenter Jamie Laing. Gardiners of Scotland’s range of flavoured fudges and toffees are packaged in highly decorated gift tins and boxes.

Ideal for gifting Churchill’s Confectionery’s distinctive high-quality and creatively embossed pieces of artistic design in tin boxes that contain delicious sweets and biscuits.

Yorkshire’s Simpkins all natural chemist grade confectionery includes Travel Tins,Taveners, Olde Miners Lozenges, Nipits Liquorice Range and Frog In Your Throat lozenges, and Hannah’s choc novelties for Pick n’ Mix or catering include Jazzles, Animals, Fish n Chips, Skullcrushers, Hearts. On the gummy front, Pimlico Confectioners range includes confectionery regular, vegan halal vegetarian gift sweets.

Other companies this year include Sweet Zone offer high-quality confectionery including jelly sweets, and The Silver Crane Company specialised in unique shelf-ready seasonal food filled gift tins. Moreover, Walkers Nonsuch Toffees highlight the original values of quality and natural goodness with toffee bars, jars and bags packed full of tempting twist wrapped toffees and chocolate éclairs.

Blackpool’s Uncle Joe’s Mintballs offers a diverse range of products distributed globally, while The Serious Sweets Company will be promoting a distinctive range of confectionery challenger brands.

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