Auténtica returns to Seville as Spain’s leading premium food fair, blending Mediterranean values with global ambition. More than a trade show, it’s a strategic platform where chefs, producers, and retailers shape the future of gourmet innovation, sustainability, and storytelling. With over 300 exhibitors and 250 expert speakers, Auténtica fosters meaningful dialogue, business connections, and a new vision for the food and beverage industry. Food and Beverage Business spoke with the director, Manuel Bueno
Auténtica talks about creating a “new social dialogue” around food and putting respect for origin, health and pleasure at the forefront. How do you see the event shaping the future of the premium food sector beyond just being a trade show?
Auténtica, Spain’s leading fair for gourmet products with values, origin, and sustainability, will celebrate its third edition at FIBES Seville on September 15–16. Far beyond a simple product showcase, Auténtica is conceived as a strategic space where debates are generated that directly influence the evolution of the food and gastronomy industries, driving a new social consciousness through gourmet food and beverages. This year, we expect to welcome over 10,000 professionals from the food industry, mass distribution and retail, the Horeca channel, and haute cuisine. Additionally, the exhibition space will expand to host more than 300 exhibiting companies, while the Auténtica Congress will feature over 250 expert voices from the sector.
This vision is embodied in the Auténtica Congress, where chefs, distributors, and producers share their perspectives. A major new addition this year is the Sin Filtro forum, which will bring together a curated list of Michelin-starred chefs to speak candidly about sustainability, storytelling, and culinary aesthetics. It joins other key spaces such as the Culinary Fest by Gusto del Sur—where top chefs will engage in dialogue with leading figures from other creative disciplines—as well as the Retail and Mass Distribution Forum, the Purchasing Directors’ Summit, the Horeca Forum, the Gastromarketing Forum, and the Degusta Tasting Classrooms. Together, these events form a diverse agenda addressing the industry’s environmental impact, digital transformation, applied marketing, and the balance between innovation and culinary tradition.
In this way, Auténtica fosters a forward-looking vision that inspires professionals to innovate while remaining true to their origins and gastronomic identity. In just two editions, it has already established itself as the benchmark food event in Spain. Thus, the future of the sector is strengthened by the fair’s ability to generate a new social dialogue around Mediterranean gourmet products, while also providing a unique business platform for the food industry.
Product innovation is clearly a big focus. What new trends in premium food and drink are you most excited about right now, and how does Auténtica help those ideas come to life?
The most interesting thing about Auténtica is that, since its first edition, innovation has been understood in a broad sense, ranging from the product itself to the way it is distributed, consumed or communicated. In this sense, the fair helps to generate conversations and inspiration linked to the latest trends, as it will address all the issues that are shaping the immediate future of the sector. In the field of large-scale distribution and retail, for example, we will see how digitalisation, logistical efficiency and zero-waste models are becoming the basis for a new type of premium product that is more practical, sustainable and better connected with the consumer.
In the Horeca sector, trends are focusing on personalising the dining experience, artificial intelligence applied to business management, and new consumer habits, which demand healthier, more functional and locally sourced dishes. All this is accompanied by an in-depth debate on sustainability as a value that is no longer optional, but essential.
In addition to these lines, there are spaces dedicated to strategic decision-making in the supply chain, new-generation gastromarketing with disruptive concepts such as neurogastronomy and hyper-personalisation, and haute cuisine, which faces issues related to its aesthetics, narrative and coherence in contemporary gastronomy. In short, Auténtica offers a unique framework where these trends intersect, contrast and transform into new ideas ready to reach the market.
Sustainability and the Mediterranean diet are central to the event’s values. How do you make sure the brands and products on show really live up to those principles? Do you have any specific criteria for exhibitors?
That’s right. The essence of Auténtica is based on a commitment to a sustainable food model rooted in the values of the Mediterranean food culture. For this reason, the fair takes special care in selecting the brands and products that participate, prioritising those that stand out for their respect for origin, the authenticity of their production process and their ability to generate a positive impact on health and the environment.
Based on this approach, preference is given to companies that incorporate circular economy practices, energy efficiency, respect for local products, and innovation strategies geared towards sustainability. In this way, we try to ensure that what is exhibited at the fair not only meets quality standards, but also ethical values and responsibility and proximity.
The result is a coherent and differentiated showcase of participants, perfect for getting to know first-hand the premium gourmet products that producers and manufacturers are developing with a global approach linked to sustainability, health, respect for origin and the aim of promoting a new social dialogue between them and large-scale distribution.
Networking is a huge part of events like this, but how do you make sure the connections made at Auténtica actually turn into meaningful long-term collaborations for the industry?
Networking is indeed a fundamental pillar of Auténtica. The fair is designed to generate strategic and lasting links by combining professional spaces such as the Auténtica Congress knowledge forums or activities such as the Chefs’ Retreat, with moments that allow for deeper connections that facilitate closer ties between actors in the value chain, such as the exhibition area. Thus, each year we work to create dynamics that favour encounters between complementary profiles, such as local producers and national distributors, or start-ups with large chains.
In this way, the true value of Auténtica is that the connections generated are consolidated into ongoing projects. By bringing together trendsetters in gastronomy, retail, Horeca and large-scale distribution in the same space, the fair acts as a catalyst for solid relationships that have a direct impact on the future of the sector.
Aside from visitor numbers, how do you measure success? What tells you that Auténtica is making a real difference to the sector and to the businesses taking part?
The impact of Auténtica cannot be measured solely in numbers, despite the fact that visitor records are broken every year. It must also be measured in terms of the quality of interactions between professionals and the projects that arise as a result of the fair. During the second edition, which we held last year, we were able to bring together more than 8,400 professional visitors and 251 exhibitors, generating an economic impact of 12 million euros in the city of Seville. We hope to exceed these figures this year, given that the fair is making a big splash in the sector and, in just two editions, has managed to position itself as the leading trade fair for the food industry in Spain. In this sense, its success is reflected in the partnerships that are formed, the international projection of the products and the visibility achieved by both large companies and small producers.
Another key indicator is the level of knowledge shared thanks to the Auténtica Congress. The quality of the forums and activities, as well as the relevance of the participants and the variety of topics covered mentioned above, are a tangible measure of the fair’s contribution to the debate on the future of the sector. In addition, feedback from exhibitors and visitors after each edition confirms that real business opportunities are generated and that the fair is perceived as a benchmark for keeping up to date with innovation and trends.
Finally, recognition within the food sector, thanks to the participation of prestigious institutions, professionals and chefs, consolidates Auténtica as a significant fair that not only brings people together but also transforms them, and its success is measured by its ability to influence the premium products agenda beyond the two days in Seville.
The premium food industry faces plenty of challenges at the moment – from sustainability to shifting consumer expectations. How is Auténtica evolving to help the industry tackle those issues head-on?
Auténtica evolves at the same pace as the challenges facing the sector, adapting its value proposition each year to respond to the industry’s most pressing needs. That is why listening to experts discuss topics such as logistics efficiency, traceability, climate change and digitalisation, issues of relevance in the current context, is an essential part of Auténtica’s mission and allows professionals to explore practical and replicable solutions in their own businesses.
Furthermore, the fair focuses on reviving traditional products and recipes, bringing together innovation and cultural heritage in one place. This not only responds to consumer demand for authenticity but also strengthens the sector’s competitiveness through differentiation.
At the same time, the event promotes networking and collaboration between large companies and small producers, as mentioned above, creating an environment where both can learn and grow together, acquiring tools to help them face present and future challenges.
While it’s rooted in the Mediterranean diet, Auténtica clearly has international ambitions. How are you working to grow the event’s global footprint and attract more exhibitors and visitors from further afield?
Auténtica’s international vocation is reflected both in the participation of experts and brands with global reach, and in the fair’s mission to position Mediterranean products as a benchmark in international markets. Mediterranean gastronomy is part of the world’s shared cultural heritage, and Auténtica serves as a platform to promote its core values—authenticity, health, and sustainability—through a compelling and exportable model.
This vision is reinforced by the presence of internationally renowned chefs such as Dani García, whose concepts have already crossed borders, as well as representatives from major retail brands like Mercadona and Alcampo, who act as connectors between local producers and foreign markets. The goal is to strengthen business opportunities and facilitate international exposure for premium Spanish food products.
Auténtica Premium Food—organized by NEBEXT (Next Business Exhibitions) in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalusia—benefits from the support of key institutional and industry players. The event receives European funding through the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), as well as the backing of the City of Seville, Landaluz, Agri-Food Cooperatives of Andalusia, and the main trade associations in the sector. This support not only ensures the fair’s credibility and resources, but also consolidates its role as a strategic gateway for the internationalization of Mediterranean food.
Thanks to this ecosystem of collaboration and public-private partnership, Auténtica is building a growing international footprint while remaining deeply rooted in the values and excellence of its origin.