The BGA Annual Food and Trade Show 2026 drew representatives from a large cross mixture of retailers and service industries to Pier 6 today to get a sense of the wide variety of products available from the Pitts Bay Road wholesaler.

A score of overseas vendors were also on hand, having flown to the island to personally demonstrate their products.

There was a wide variety of food to sample during the seven-hour show.

Aaron Bloom, BGA’s chief operating officer, said 19 of the company’s overseas suppliers sent company personnel to the trade show to discuss and demonstrate products with retailers.

The company had some 500 attend last year’s event at Grotto Bay Hotel, and expected at least that number would attend today’s show in Hamilton.

Mr Bloom referenced the suppliers who came to the island for the event: “It’s an amazing event and we take care of them. We make an effort to make it worthwhile for them, because we understand that there is time associated to their coming here and a huge cost involved for them to come.

“It’s time away from their families and their own workspace. It is a challenge for a lot of them. We try to make it the best experience possible, whether it is here during the show, prior to it at a welcome dinner, or even afterwards.”

He said he was happy with the large attendance of local retailers and service providers, noting that the central location made it easier for customers to spend some time among the exhibits.

“It’s been a great turnout,” he said about halfway through the daylong show.

He said: “It makes it so much easier during a lunch break or coffee break for them to spend a short time over here. They can have a bite to eat, see some friendly faces and talk to the vendors to get ideas about what’s coming to the market, before heading on back to work.

“Everyone here takes something positive away from this. Our vendors have a chance to engage with the end users themselves, the consumers, whether they are retailers or owner/operators in a restaurant.

“They can then understand the challenges that they are facing and what they can bring to the table to overcome those challenges. And at the same time, our local customers have a chance to engage and see what other products we carry, see what other opportunities are here, and just have a little bit of excitement.”

He said there is a lot of planning, effort and cost that goes into putting such a show together. He is also cognisant of the tremendous costs for the vendors.

He said: “They have to be mindful of where they are allocating their marketing funds to make sure they are getting a good return on their investment.

“And this does obviously pay out because otherwise they would not be interested in supporting it. But for them it is a big trip.”