Burst of new and innovative products at the Riga Food 2024

Taste the colourful oyster mushrooms, sauerkraut crisps, egg pasta, ramsons pesto, sturgeon aspic ... served on environmentally-friendly plates and dishes made of bran. These innovative and completely new products will be on display at the largest Baltic food industry trade fair Riga Food 2024, which will take place at the Ķīpsala International Expo Centre on 5-7 September 2024.

Locally-grown colourful oyster mushroom baskets and bags
True Latvians will always appreciate mushrooms, and those who are into exquisite recipes will be thrilled about oysters. Oyster mushrooms of different colours and kinds are now available all over Latvia! Innovation Booth will present oyster mushrooms grown by “Svaigas sēnes” (Fresh mushrooms) or Dzērve family from Vangaži. Moreover, they will not only bring ready-to-eat oyster mushrooms in baskets and also bags for anyone to grow at home. By the way, oyster mushrooms are an excellent meat substitute when cooking soups, sauces, salad and even hot sandwiches.

Sturgeon in aspic
Eel in a fish trap? No, this time around it is in a jar! “Salaca KRU” and its brand “Eel in a jar”, created by Uldis Rozenšteins, will bring a new product, sturgeon aspic, alongside everyone’s favourite classic – fried eel in a jelly. Sturgeon is a fish of value. All gourmet lovers and their taste buds will want to buy it! It is a succulent dish. Variety of artisan tinned fish products that contain no preservatives and come in an environmentally-friendly packaging. Regional flavours section will offer a tasting of eel and smoked eel in aspic, as well as fried eel in jelly.

Dark chocolate with black currant, rye breadcrumbs and Balsam filling
Chocolate bars with fillings are a new line in “Lāči” range. Dark chocolate with black currant, rye breadcrumbs and Balsam filling is made of top-quality Belgian chocolate filled with traditional Latvian flavours, such as black currant, rye breadcrumbs and Balsam. Delicate blend of intricate and unique flavours. This new product from “Lāči” will be available at the Latvia’s national stand of Riga Food 2024. So, come and taste it yourself!

Sauerkraut chips and pickle lemonade
What flavours young people choose nowadays? Well, of course, chips and soda! Students of the Valmiera Technical College at one point decided to make these products healthier and created sauerkraut chips and quine-pickle lemonade call “Frešiņš” (Freshy). They will be at the Innovation Booth of Riga Food 2024, offering a taste of their innovative products.

Natural rhubarb and ginger soda
“Rāmkalni” new soda is a golden standard for rhubarb and ginger mixes. The freshness of natural rhubarb matches the punch of ginger perfectly, leading to a unique combination of flavours. Each sip is sizzling with bubbles, making the mixed beverage extra thirst-quenching. Rhubarb-ginger lemonade is the best choice for a party or brightening up the everyday experience alike. By the way, if you are looking for a special sweet treat, the other new product from “Rāmkalni”, White chocolate almond, a crunchy almond covered in high-quality white chocolate, is made for you. Enjoy Latvian flavours!

Nature-friendly bran pottery
Renewable and sustainable are the terms that have permeated different aspects of our everyday life. Chum Tableware will bring to the Riga Food and launch on the Latvian market their unique produce – biodegradable and edible dishes and plates. These stylish and sustainable items will grace any table! “Our pottery is bran-based. So, you can actually use them and then eat yourself, or feed them to your dog or cat. We are already offering disposable plates and will add other dishes to this line later on,” Oto Laiva, the executive manager of Chum Tableware, says.

Quince and honey mead
Riga Food 2024 introduces a unique drink, the quince/honey sparkling mead Cindra. It is like a real journey through the Latvian garden. What sets this drink apart is its unmatched, rich combination of quince and honey flavours, and no sulphites. Quince comes from local farms and honey is also produced by Latvian bees. This drink comes in two versions – Brut and Extra Brut. It goes well with delicate cheeses and meat platter. It is also a perfect match for all kinds of desserts.

Egg pasta
Egg and egg product manufacturer AS Balticovo will bring its new line of products to Riga Food 2024 to show all the diversity and health benefits of egg-based foods. Company will present four different kinds of egg pasta: Spaghetti, helical Fusilli and Cellentani, and also the delicate and short Vermicelli. Egg pasta is made from eggs laid by free-range, cage-free chicken. Egg pasta is made from Durum flour, which is ideal for pasta and makes dough both elastic and strong.

Glacier water
Glacier water, which supersedes its foreign counterparts in terms of packaging and quality, is a really unique product on the Latvian market. Top-quality water with unique minerals from northern part of Latvia where the ancient Baltic Uplands glacier crevasse has become a source for underground springs that yield the water is produced by OGGI RAW. Mechanical filters give water its pure and natural, vibrant structure. Moreover, water is filled in tainted, environmentally-friendly bottles to keep the original aroma and characteristics. Come to Innovation Booth and quench your thirst with locally-made glacier water.

Chocolate pumpkin seeds
“Mētras” is a farm behind this healthy and tasty snack. Naked bear pumpkin seed is roasted and then glazed in dark chocolate (60 %). While no one doubts the nutritional properties of pumpkin seed, it is the dark chocolate glazing that makes it taste fantastic. Pumpkin seed is high in zinc, natrium, phosphorous and iron. “Mētras” offers chocolate-glazed pumpkin seeds with a pinch of chili and covered in raspberry powder. Winter season is around the corner as well, so you might be interested in chocolate-glazed pumpkin seeds with Christmas spices.

Ramsons pesto and mulberry fruit sweets
“SKIM gardumi” do not seize to amaze. Their this-year’s Innovation Booth line-up will contain lots of new products for the most exquisite of palates, such as ground cherry salsa, ramsons pesto and mulberry sweets. This exceptional salsa is made according to a refined recipe with ingredients like strawberries, apples, gooseberries, caramelised onion, chili flakes and apple vinegar. “SKIM gardumi” also grow their own ramsons for the tasty pesto, whereas their mulberry fruit is the basis for new sweets. If all you just read hasn’t made your mouth water, you should also know that the other products “SKIM will also be available at the Innovation Booth.

Yummy bread that fills the belly
Small but mighty – this is how everyone describes SIA “Dona” and its bacon bread. Fragrant, spicy, or as Latvians say – yummy. Smoked meet heated to a point where it melts into the dough, making the bread extra fragrant and tasty. Each loaf is surprising, comforting and reinvigorating. Ideal for picknicks, afternoon tea or even together with soup.

Products listed above will also be on display at the national stand of Latvia, operated by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics, and Innovation Booth, operated by Latvian Technological Centre and supported by Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and company representatives will gladly answer all your questions. Meanwhile Regional flavours stand is operated by the Latvia Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre.

And that’s not all! Riga Food 2024, which will take place on 5-7 September, will bring the ost recent innovations, technologies and presentations of newest food product, beverage manufacturing and processing technologies from 425 exhibiting companies from 32 countries. Visitors of Riga Food 2024 will have a unique opportunity to experience 12 national booths with companies from Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Mexico, Moldova, Italy, Canada, Slovakia, Spain and Ukraine. More at: www.rigafood.lv

Riga Food is organised by BT 1 International Expo Company. www.bt1.lv

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Opening hours:
5–6 September: 10:00–18:00
7 September: 10:00–17:00

Entrance fees:
Adults: €7
Disabled: €5
Family ticket (2 adults +1 child aged 7-18): €14
(+ €2 for every next child)
Free entrance for children under 7
Ticket presales for cheaper prices: www.bt1.lv/rigafood/buytickets.php