On Monday I zoomed up to London on the train and popped into the Natural and Organic Products Europe show at Olympia for a couple of hours to catch up on what's happening in the world of pushy people at trade shows. Also to check out new vegan lines, up and coming vegan products, and businesses worth watching. Here's a roundup of what I enjoyed most.
One thing to get out of the way before anything else, though: Veganz won't open in London before 2015.
Jollyum Vegan Ice Cream
Jollyum is a dairy free ice cream company launching with four flavours: Summer Strawberry, Maple & Pecan, Passion Fruit & Chocolate, and Double Chocolate.
Javara Indonesian Organic Food
While the event ought really to be renamed the Natural and Organic Coconut Water Show, there were a few unexpected non coconut treasures. My favourite, and I spent more time at their stall than with any other single exhibitor, was Javara. Sadly they don't yet have distribution within the UK, but the Indonesian product range is impressive. All of their flours are gluten free (including banana flour!), and they sell a massive variety of quality Indonesian herbs and spices that I have never seen anywhere within the UK.
Divina Teresa vegan ribs, Okobay coconut ice cream, Violife vegan cheese, Vegan Russian salad
The extent of coconut water at the show was overwhelming, but the frozen coconut water ices from Okobay were a welcome twist. Also in their upcoming line is a selection of rich coconut based vegan ice creams, which I'm hoping will be available in major supermarkets as their ices already are.
Rebel Kitchen non dairy milks
If you haven't tried the Rebel Kitchen mylks then get with it! They're not only delicious, but the people behind the show are probably the nicest on the planet. My favourite flavour is matcha!
Il Modicano chocolates, Pana Chocolate, Govinda Natur vegan sweets
Of all the chocolate at this London event, the winner in my eyes was the white chocolate by Il Modicano. Unlike every other vegan white chocolate I've tasted, this one is not reminiscent of wax and it actually starts to melt the second it hits your tongue. The guy behind it gets further brownie points for being vegan.
Kintaro Pop Rice, Doves Farm flours, Invo coconut water
It's becoming progressively more straightforward to source teff flour in the UK, but it looks like you'll be able to buy a tiny quantity from a well known brand pretty soon.