MANCHESTER – 29th October 2026: On Thursday, 22nd October, hundreds of leading representatives from the global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) community gathered at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester for the eleventh edition of the Gama Innovation Conference & Awards (GICA), continuing a second decade of driving industry innovation, insight, and international collaboration.
Since its inception, GICA has firmly established itself as one of the FMCG sector’s most vital annual gatherings—an essential meeting place for global decision-makers, disruptive scale-ups, and pioneering entrepreneurs across the consumer goods ecosystem. The 2026 event once again highlighted Manchester’s status as a key international hub for creative enterprise, strategic growth, and commercial excellence in consumer goods.
This year’s edition drew a wide-ranging audience spanning major multinational manufacturers and international retailers – including Thai Union, Union Coop, Spar, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Coop Italia, KraftHeinz and Unilever – alongside high-growth scale-ups, disruptive start-ups and distinguished industry guests. Delegates joined both in person and online from South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Latvia, Portugal, Slovenia, Ireland, the USA and Bulgaria, demonstrating GICA’s ongoing global reach and influence.
Cesar Pereira, Founder & CEO of Gama, commented: “Entering the second decade, the founding mission of GICA remains as vital as ever: to be the accelerator and your connector. Whether you are a brand, an innovative founder, a retailer or an investor, we want today to unlock new markets, inspire fresh ideas and forge partnerships that will reshape our industry”.
Adri Williams, managing director of Khayelitsha Cookies described GICA as a an “incredible experience”, in particular “to see so many products from around the world, and the amazing innovation that is in the food categories, and to also learn from keynote speakers on what the new trends are going to be”.
Romy Ammar, founder of Sunny Charm, said: “It was absolutely wonderful. I think it’s such an inspiration to see so many innovative brands across different industries”.
Bernard Katrycz, senior sales manager at Foodhak, added: “What makes [GICA] different for me is that it feels very personal. With other exhibitions, there’s hundreds of thousands of people walking around, whereas here you speak to everyone that you want to speak to”.
GAMA SPEED PITCH
Building on the success of its inaugural launch, GICA 2026 saw the return of the Gama Speed Pitch, returning bigger and better as part of GICA’s flagship Meet The Investor initiative. Setting a dynamic tone in the morning ahead of the main conference, the high-energy session opened with an impassioned introduction from Fabio Cordella, Chief Executive Officer of the Fabio Cordella Group.
Throughout the private morning session at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, founders of high-potential FMCG start-ups and scale-ups took to the stage to deliver sharp, compelling 3-minute pitches to an expanded panel of international private investors.
Hosted once again by Cris Arcangeli – Chief Executive Officer, Investor, Serial Entrepreneur, and Shark Tank Brazil Host – the Speed Pitch feature forms a core element of a broader six-month programme designed to connect ambitious consumer goods brands with growth capital. Following the live event, recordings of every pitch are shared directly with the expanded investor network, with Gama actively facilitating targeted introductions between business founders and interested investment partners.
Commenting on the second edition of the Gama Speed Pitch, Ian Wright CBE said: “What Gama has done with the Speed Pitch is fantastic because they are making a massive contribution to the work of these businesses, putting them in front of people who can transform not just the businesses themselves but also the communities around them”.
INNOVATION ZONE
Throughout the day, attendees once again had the chance to connect and draw inspiration in the Innovation Zone, where dozens of pioneering companies showcased ground-breaking product concepts from across the globe. Highlights spanned a diverse range of categories, including confectionery, snacks, crackers, biscuits, sun care, functional drinks, CSDs, sweeteners, dairy alternatives and novel oral nicotine, ensuring representation from across a broad swathe of the FMCG industry.
The dedicated space created a vibrant atmosphere of exploration and partnership, giving delegates the ideal backdrop to exchange industry insights, discuss market opportunities, and establish valuable new commercial relationships. Reaching beyond the venue itself, key highlights from the Innovation Zone were broadcast live to an audience of 500 remote buyers, investors and other industry stakeholders participating virtually from around the world.
GAMA INNOVATION BOX
A standout highlight of the Innovation Zone once again this year was the Gama Innovation Box, back by popular demand for its second edition.
Designed to support growth-oriented FMCG business to explore new distribution opportunities and secure new retail listings, the Gama Innovation Box initiative enables brands to get their latest products directly in the hands of 10 major buyers from retailers, hotels and airlines, both in the UK and overseas. The Gama Innovation Box also include a product profile and a 2-minute video pitch, with Gama facilitating introductions between the founders and any prospective buyers expressing an interest in the listing opportunity.
The Gama Innovation Box feature forms part of Meet The Buyer, a six-month programme which gives innovative brands a unique opportunity to connect directly with a diverse range of international retailers, distributors and commercial partners.
Applications to take part in the Gama Innovation Box remain open until Monday 30th November, and interested brands are invited to submit their own product innovations for consideration to Tom Warden (tom.warden@gamaconsumer.com).
TRENDS & STRATEGIC INSIGHTS
The afternoon session opened with the Gama Innovation Conference, bringing together an exceptional lineup of industry thought leaders for a series of engaging and insightful presentations on the forces reshaping the future of FMCG. Throughout the afternoon, speakers tackled key themes including the evolution of functional health and wellness, the power of purpose-driven entrepreneurship, the fusion of taste science with nutrition and the strategic importance of agile R&D in navigating complex retail environments. Attendees walked away with valuable perspectives on bridging science and consumer appeal, scaling sustainably, and unlocking commercial growth, leaving them energised and equipped with clear, actionable strategies to implement within their own businesses.
Kicking off the conference, Ian Wright, former co-chair of the UK Food & Drink Export Council, praised the courage and determination required to bring new products to market, emphasising the vital role of dedicated industry platforms in connecting innovative start-ups with investors to drive positive impacts for businesses, consumers and communities alike.
Next, Emma Thackray, co-founder & managing director of Hip Pop, detailed her brand’s journey from kitchen-table brewing to national retail success, sharing key strategies for modern beverage innovation including prioritizing taste-led repeat purchases, focusing on consumer outcomes over strict categorisation, and staying anchored to core brand purpose.
Following Emma, Adri Williams, managing director of Khayelitsha Cookies, shared her inspiring journey of building a purpose-driven enterprise in South Africa, demonstrating how embedding social impact into the core business model – by creating artisanal baking jobs for unemployed women – can serve as a powerful competitive advantage and drive sustainable growth.
Next, Emanuela Alesiani, founder & CEO of Coccola, explored how taste science and multi-sensory design are revolutionising food reformulation, arguing that the future of wellness lies in combining scientific rigour with pleasure rather than forcing consumers to compromise on flavour when reducing sugar.
Following Emanuela, Elif Aslı Yıldız Tunaoğlu, founder & managing partner of Patisinno, illustrated how combining engineering with creative R&D allows brands to pioneer new product categories, highlighting her company’s rapid international expansion through functional, clean-label snacking innovations and a strong commitment to female empowerment in manufacturing.
The next speaker was Tom Warden, insights director at Gama, who looked ahead to the key trends set to define FMCG innovation in 2027, including a new clinical edge to health-forward formulation, the growing importance of visual spectacle, novelty and exotic ingredient fusion in the social media age, and a smarter approach to indulgence through low-sugar, high-volume and fruit-forward formulation.
Wrapping up the conference, Tricia McNeilly, founder of Kulay, reflected on her entrepreneurial journey across pioneering health food ventures, sharing key hard-won business lessons in managing cash flow and retail scaling while emphasising the critical need to test, listen to consumer feedback and validate product viability before expanding.
INNOVATION TAKES TO THE STAGE
The second half of the afternoon was, as usual, dedicated to celebrating key breakthroughs in the consumer goods space, with the unveiling of the winners in each category of the Gama Innovation Awards 2026.
Recognising outstanding innovation in the FMCG space, the Gama Innovation Awards represented the very best innovations discovered in the past year by Gama’s global network of in-country researchers and analysts.
Awarded in the disciplines of Product, Packaging, Positioning, Branding & Design, SME, Best of Britain, Best of Middle East, Health & Wellness, Travel, Hospitality, Sustainability and Technology, the Gama Innovation Awards go to the top new launches unearthed each month by Gama’s network of in-country researchers and analysts.
As ever, judging the 2026 Gama Innovation Awards was a stellar international panel including thought leaders from companies such as Kraft Heinz, Coty, IFFCO and Bel Group, as well as Shark Tank Brasil’s Cris Arcangeli, underlining the reputation of the Gama Innovation Awards as a major showcase of global innovation.
Silvia Ruiz, Innovation Director at Gama, said: “The 2026 edition of the Gama Innovation Awards placed centre stage the extraordinary talent and original thinking reshaping our industry. By celebrating the people and brands turning ambitious ideas into impactful realities, we continue to highlight the key developments and solutions that will define the next generation of consumer goods”.
The overall winners in each category were as follows:
- Product: Oh My Goodness! Chocolate & Spinach Cookies (South Africa). Oh My Goodness! won over the panel by seamlessly blending spinach into chocolate cookies to tap into the “stealth health” snacking trend. Award presented by Ian Wright CBE, former co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Tommy Williams of Khayelitsha Cookies said: “This award means a great deal to us because it has always been far more than just a cookie. […] behind that lies a much bigger story: a story of dignity, hope and possibility. Thank you very much”.
- Packaging: Purely Scottish Natural Mineral Water (UK). Purely Scottish earned top honours in Packaging for its fully paper-based bottle and closure that eliminate the need for plastic. Award presented by Tom Warden, Gama (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Ray Donovan of Purely Scottish said: “This is massive for us. It’s a great honour, but for a small company like ours, it’s going to have very valuable commercial benefits, so we’re extremely grateful – thank you”.
- Positioning: El Lobo Rice Shortbread for Dogs (Spain). The panel was taken with El Lobo’s clever use of premium culinary cues to bring Spanish-style shortbread to pet care. Award presented by Ambassador Füsun Aramaz, Consul General of Türkiye (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Juan Antonio Sirvent of Confectionery Holding. said: “I would like to say how honoured and grateful we are as a team to receive this award. Dedication to what you’re passionate about is what brings you success. Thank you so much”.
- Branding & Design: Ginger Up+ Original Immune Booster Drink (Slovenia). Ginger Up+ took the prize in Branding & Design thanks to playful typography that prompts drinkers to physically shake the can. Award presented by Gabriele Magagnin, Consul of Italy (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Tjaša Ogrizek of Ginger Up+ said: “ We are really honoured for this award. The message is that when life wants you to turn upside down, take the challenge and open doors for new success. Thank you again”.
- SME: Porto-Muinos Furikake Seasoning (Spain). Porto-Muinos stood out in the SME category with an authentic furikake seasoning that leverages raw sesame seeds for added health appeal. Award presented by Sérgio Vieira Morais, Consul General of Portugal. (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Adela Martinez of Porto-Muinos said: “This award means a lot to us. It’s a recognition of our team work and all of the people who work behind every new product that we develop”.
- Health & Wellness: Highslim Dietary Supplement (Portugal). Highslim secured the Health & Wellness award by utilizing clinically proven ingredients to support glucose regulation and combat fat storage. Award presented by Daniele Tirelli, former president of the Retail Institute of Italy (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Margarida Santos of HighBrands said: “As a small Portuguese brand, being recognised on the international stage like this means a lot to me. We are just getting started and I could be more excited about what’s ahead. Thank you so much.”
- Best of Britain: Junday Sparkling Bamboo Water (UK). The Best of Britain title was awarded to Junday for turning sustainable bamboo extract into a novel sparkling functional drink. Award presented by Gavin Page of Manchester Printers (watch here).
- Best of Middle East: Wild Bee Honey Morel Mushroom Preserved in Honey (United Arab Emirates). Wild Bee Honey grabbed the spotlight in the Best of Middle East category with an ultra-premium fusion of foraged Morel mushrooms and raw honey. Award presented by the Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Nasir Ali of Wild Bee Honey said: “This award is [recognition for] hard work, 35 years of effort and the dedication of our partners and R&D team – thank you everyone”.
- Hospitality: Barhi Date Based Mead (UK). Judges selected Barhi as the Hospitality winner for its unique 6% abv date-based mead that gives venues a craft alternative to traditional beers and ciders. Award presented by Juan Avila, Honorary Consul of Spain (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Vikas Thakker of Vintage Brewery said: “it’s been a wonderful journey and to get this today means really something special – thank you so much”.
- Travel: Meiji Step Growing Up Formula (Japan). Meiji’s combination of gut-friendly bacteria and a portable cube format earned it the top spot in the Travel category. Award presented by Tom Warden of Gama (watch here).
- Sustainability: Coccola Coconut Powder Sweetener (Italy). Coccola impressed the panel in Sustainability by pairing responsibly sourced coconut protein with eco-conscious packaging. Award presented by Heather Waters of the Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Emmanuela Alesiani of Coccola said: “This prize means that, together with my team, we did a great job for sustainability and for the entire planet – thank you”.
- Technology: Suvy Sweetener (France). Suvy was crowned the Technology winner for its fruit-fermented formulation that achieves a 1:1 functional sugar replacement. Award presented by Sergio Costa of Gama (watch here).
Commenting on the award, Catherine Deltreil of Suvy said: “This award comes at a very good point for Suvy, as we accelerate our expansion and prepare for further development across a number of countries – thank you”.
- 2026 also saw the Compass award presented to Adri Williams, in recognition of a 30-year entrepreneurial journey exemplifying strategic brilliance and resilience combined with social impact, empowering and uplifting women to create lasting economic independence. Award presented by Cesar Pereira, Gama (watch here).
Accepting the award, Adri Williams commented: “What matters in those last moments of your life are the impact and the legacy you leave behind. That created a passion in me to really speak to people and say, you’ve got one life to live: make it count, do what you’re passionate about, change the world one good deed at a time.”
The awards ceremony was closed by The Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester, who explored Manchester’s reputation as a city built on innovation.
“Over the past decade and into this exciting new chapter, the Gama Innovation Conference & Awards has continued to evolve. Last year, this event celebrated a remarkable ten-year milestone. But as we stand here today, stepping firmly into a second decade, it is clear that the best chapters of this story are still unwritten”.
GET TOGETHER
Following the main proceedings, international delegates and honoured guests, including the Consul of Italy and Honorary Consul of Spain, gathered for an exclusive evening reception at 20 Stories, Manchester’s premier rooftop destination, to toast the day’s achievements and foster new global connections.
Addressing the guests, Ian Wright paid tribute to 11 years of GICA through changing economic landscapes. Celebrating the vibrant spirit of the delegates, Wright raised a toast to the industry’s future, noting: “As you have seen over the last 12 hours, the future of the food and drink industry is extraordinarily varied… All of you have proved through your resilience and through your continued commitment that you have a great future”.
SAVE THE DATE
The Gama Innovation Conference & Awards will return to Manchester on Wednesday 20th October 2027 for its 12th edition.
To find out more about GICA 2027, please contact Silvia Ruiz at silvia.ruiz@gamaconsumer.com.
– ENDS –
About GICA 2026
The 11th edition of the Gama Innovation Conference & Awards (GICA), took place on Thursday 22nd October 2026 at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
GICA 2026 is an invitation-only event and welcomed over 500 attendees from around the globe, including FMCG manufacturers, industry experts, retail buyers, hotels, airlines and investors.
Awarded in the disciplines of Product, Packaging, Positioning, Branding & Design, SME, Health & Wellness, Best of Britain, Best of Middle East, Hospitality, Travel, Sustainability and Technology, the Gama Innovation Awards go to the top new launches unearthed each month by Gama’s network of in-country researchers and analysts. Winners are chosen through an international panel of expert judges based on a shortlist of innovative products.
About Gama
Gama is a global provider of business information and services specializing in consumer goods innovation, international trade and investment. Powered by a global network of over 300 in-country specialists across more than 60 countries, we deliver the boots-on-the-ground intelligence and high-value introductions needed to drive business growth.
As hosts of the prestigious Gama Innovation Conference & Awards (GICA), we bring together the world’s consumer goods leaders, innovators, buyers and investors each year in Manchester (UK).
We also publish Gama News, delivering daily intelligence and an advert-free quarterly magazine trusted by more than 50,000 industry professionals from top brands, retail, hospitality and travel.
