With six weeks to go before Africa’s most significant food and beverage sourcing event opens its doors, industry publication BakerSA this week reported that South African food ingredient companies are scaling their commercial positioning ahead of Africa Food Show 2026, confirming that the June event in Cape Town is already generating measurable pre-show deal momentum.
The report, published on 23 April 2026, details how leading suppliers Synercore and Cape Food Ingredients have formalised elevated sponsorship commitments to the show, treating the platform not as a branding vehicle but as a structured route-to-market into East and Southern Africa.
The Event: Cape Town, June 10–12
Africa Food Show 2026 returns to the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 10 to 12 June 2026, positioned as Africa’s leading food and beverage sourcing platform. The three-day exhibition will host more than 350 exhibitors, including over 25 ingredient companies, and attract more than 8,000 food and hospitality professionals from over 60 countries.
The show connects retail-ready suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors with senior buyers, importers, exporters, and procurement leaders across the continent. It will once again be co-located with Hotel & Hospitality Expo Africa, reinforcing the direct link between Africa’s accelerating hospitality pipeline and food procurement demand.
Synercore Elevates to Platinum
Synercore and Cape Food Ingredients have boosted their stakes in Africa Food Show 2026, citing its proven commercial edge in accelerating market expansion into high-growth African regions, sparking ingredient innovation, and forging direct partnerships with decision-makers for lasting distribution growth.
Synercore’s upgrade to Platinum and Registration Sponsor is grounded in what the company describes as concrete 2025 returns. Alex Zabbia, Executive: Dairy at Synercore, stated that the 2025 edition created space for real commercial momentum, from new product development to distribution partnerships, and that the company is scaling across East and Southern Africa on the back of connections made at last year’s show.
Cape Food Ingredients Eyes New Product Development Contracts
Cape Food Ingredients confirmed its participation as Silver Sponsor, with a clear commercial objective. Regional Director Brian Lanton stated that the Africa Food Show provides an invaluable platform for fostering meaningful partnerships and showcasing innovation tailored to African markets, with the company focused on supporting customer new product development and delivering cost-effective innovations across beverages, dairy, bakery, sauces, and confectionery.
The Market Behind the Momentum
The escalating supplier commitment reflects the scale of what is being contested. Africa’s food and beverage sector is valued at approximately $346 billion as of 2024, with projections placing it at approximately $567 billion by 2032, driven by rapid urbanisation, population expansion, retail modernisation, and shifting consumer demand.
Africa’s hotel development pipeline stands at 577 hotels and resorts totalling more than 104,000 rooms, up 13.3% year-on-year, signalling sustained and growing demand for foodservice, ingredients, and beverage innovation across the continent.
Last year’s edition drew delegations from Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and Ghana, markets actively seeking South African ingredient partnerships and supply chain solutions. The 2026 edition is expected to deepen those commercial relationships, with structured sourcing and distribution agreements forming the practical output of the three-day event.
Why It Matters Now
Six weeks out, the confirmation of Platinum and Silver sponsorship commitments from two of South Africa’s most active food ingredient companies signals that the June show has already entered its commercial phase. For buyers and procurement leaders across Africa, the window to engage ahead of the floor opens now.
Margaret Peters, Event Director at dmg events, noted that sustained growth in Africa’s food sector depends on stronger connections across the value chain, and that Africa Food Show 2026 is where suppliers, buyers, and industry leaders come together to unlock new partnerships and drive measurable business growth.
Cape Town is not simply hosting a trade show. It is functioning, for six weeks in June, as the commercial nerve centre of Africa’s food economy.
