How we source snacks at trade shows

People think sourcing snacks means eating a lot of free food. There's tasting involved, sure, but the real work is saying no to almost everything. That is how we end up with a box we're proud to send out.

We walk in with a gap

We don't go looking for cool snacks in general. We go with a list: we need a heat option under a certain price, or a sour candy that isn't yet another gummy. A gap gives us something to measure against. Without it, everything is tempting and nothing is right.

Taste is only half of it

The snack has to survive the trip to a customer's door. We check the packaging, the shelf life, the minimum order, the shipping cost. A delicious crisp that arrives as dust is not a product, it's a problem.

We also watch how the supplier talks. The ones who know their lead times and their ingredients are the ones we trust with a real order. The vague ones get a polite smile and a pass.

We bring the team

One of us tastes, one of us asks the logistics questions, one of us writes everything down. Dividing it up means nobody ends up with sugar fatigue and a vague memory that it was nice. It also means we can cover far more stands.

The result is a shortlist, not a pile. Then we go home and test with real customers. That loop is the whole job. You can see what survives it in our snack selection.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy at the show or after?

After. The show is for shortlisting, samples, and negotiating.

How many snacks do you actually keep?

A small fraction of what we taste. Maybe one in ten gets tested.

How do you remember everything?

Notes, same day, every time. Photos help too.