Food & Beverage West Africa (FAB) — Event Buyer & Attendee Research Brief

Food & Beverage West Africa Exhibition (FAB West Africa) is positioned by the official show as Africa’s largest dedicated trade exhibition for the food and beverage industry, bringing together large numbers of exhibitors and verified industry professionals across the West African market.

1) Confirmed event dates and venue (from official sources)

• 10th – 12th June 2025 — Landmark Center, Lagos, Nigeria
• The official site also lists a subsequent edition: 8th – 10th June 2027 — Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria

2) Where the show is happening + attendee geographic origin

Location: Landmark Center / Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.

Expected geographic origin of attendees (buyers & decision-makers): FAB West Africa is strongly oriented toward the West African trade corridor. Based on the official website’s buyer-focused messaging and “meet the key regional importers” emphasis, the attendee mix is expected to include regional participants from:

• Ghana
• Benin
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Senegal
• Cameroon
• Togo
• Burkina Faso
• South Africa
• Additionally, “and beyond” countries represented across the show

Lagos-specific effect: Lagos is a major commercial hub in Nigeria and often attracts both domestic Nigerian decision-makers and regional cross-border trading networks—this typically increases the density of active procurement, distribution, and hospitality purchasing stakeholders.

3) Audience reach (Local / National / Global)

FAB West Africa is best described as a regional-first event with global exhibitor reach.

• Local relevance: Nigeria-based importers, distributors, wholesalers, and hospitality decision-makers
• Regional relevance: West African buyer representation is a core part of the event value proposition
• Global exhibitor reach: The show highlights 350+ international exhibitors and states there are 63 countries represented, indicating a strong international presence—often translating into internationally sourced product listings, brands, and supply chain partners.

4) Who attends (BUYERS / ATTENDEES)

The official “Why visit / reasons to exhibit” messaging makes it clear that the attendee audience is focused on buyers and industry professionals, not general public footfall. The best-fit attendee groups include:

• F&B importers (regional importers responsible for bringing products into West Africa)
• Retailers (including those sourcing packaged foods, beverages, and consumables)
• Distributors and wholesalers
• Hospitality managers (hotels, restaurants, catering, and related service operators with purchasing authority)
• Trade decision-makers involved in sourcing, procurement, and supplier onboarding
• VIP hosted buyers (the official site specifically references VIP hosted buyers as a category)

In practical terms, this is an event designed for supplier-buyer commercial meetings: product sampling, sourcing conversations, brand introductions, and route-to-market discussions.

5) Estimated attendance (expected total footfall)

FAB West Africa provides the following headline attendance indicators on the official site:

• 6,500+ industry professionals each year (as stated on the page)
• For “FAB West Africa 2026 in Numbers” the site lists: Over 7,000+ attendees

How to interpret these numbers for planning: the show’s headline “attendees” count is expected to include a blend of hosted buyer profiles, industry professionals, and additional operational stakeholders associated with importation, distribution, retail sourcing, and hospitality purchasing.

6) Key focus areas & buyer engagement

The show’s positioning is centered on connecting sellers and buyers across the entire food & beverage value chain—especially the supplier-to-market channel that matters in West Africa.

Primary focus areas

• Food & beverage sourcing for West African distribution and retail demand
• Import and supply chain partnerships (supplier onboarding, brand representation, and logistics alignment)
• Wholesale and distribution expansion
• Hospitality purchasing and menu supply (procurement for hotels, restaurants, and catering)
• Cross-border trade connections across major regional markets highlighted by the official site

Buyer engagement signals (based on the official website)

• The show highlights “7000+ verified F&B importers, retailers, distributors, wholesalers and hospitality managers,” indicating a buyer-oriented audience.
• The event emphasizes connecting with regional importers from multiple West African countries and notes that open markets account for a major share of food & beverage imports—supporting the idea that the attendee base is business-active and commercially relevant.
• The official site claims 83% of exhibitors rebooked onsite for 2027, which suggests sustained buying interest and commercial outcomes for exhibitors.

7) Job profiles, industries & event type

Event type

• Food & beverage trade exhibition
• Industry sourcing & buyer matchmaking (hosted buyers / decision-makers)
• Regional market gateway for West African import, retail, distribution, and hospitality procurement

Job profiles to target within the buyer universe

The official positioning points to buyer functions and commercial decision-makers rather than purely technical roles. Common buyer-facing profiles for FAB West Africa include:

• Importer / Import & Sourcing Manager
• Procurement Manager (food & beverage categories)
• Buyer / Category Buyer (retail and hospitality procurement)
• Distribution / Supply Partner Manager
• Head of Wholesale / Wholesale Manager
• Business Development Manager (supplier onboarding, partnerships)
• National / Regional Sales Manager (if purchasing teams report through commercial structures)
• Operations Manager overseeing receiving, inventory, and supplier logistics
• Hospitality Purchasing / Hotel Procurement leadership

Most relevant industry clusters

• Food & Beverage Importation
• Wholesale & Distribution
• Retail sourcing (supermarkets, convenience, specialty retail)
• Hospitality & catering
• Supply chain / logistics adjacencies that support import operations (often present in exhibitor ecosystem even if procurement is the primary buyer function)

8) Sample buyer company names (BUYERS ONLY) + websites (table of 15–20)

Below is a sample starting list of buyer-type companies typically relevant to FAB West Africa’s buyer profile (importers, distributors, wholesalers, and hospitality supply chains). Since the official website excerpt provided does not include a buyer list, these are buyer-style targets that can be validated and refined once we receive the client’s product/industry requirements.

If you share your client’s website, we will align the best-fit buyer set to the exact product categories, packaging types, channels (retail vs hospitality), and sourcing preferences.

Priority	Company	Website	Best Title to Target	Why This is a Good Buyer Fit
1	Shoprite (Africa) — West Africa retail sourcing entities	https://www.shopriteholdings.com/	Category Buyer / Procurement Manager (Food & Beverages)	Large-scale retailer that typically centralizes sourcing for packaged foods and beverages; strong fit for product introductions and supplier partnerships.
2	Nestoil (trading & distribution arms in the FMCG ecosystem)	https://www.nestoil.com/	Procurement / Supply Chain Manager (FMCG)	Active in trading/distribution networks; fits buyer outreach for branded F&B supply partnerships.
3	Dufil Prima Foods (value chain and sourcing-related teams)	https://dufilprimafoods.com/	Supply Chain Procurement Manager	Food manufacturing ecosystem with procurement needs; can align with ingredients and beverage-adjacent supply categories (to be confirmed by product type).
4	Chi Limited / Chi Farms & associated beverage/food distribution network	https://chi.com.ng/	Business Development Manager / Procurement Lead	Presence in food & beverage market structures; likely connects with distributor partnerships and supply sourcing.
5	Dangote Group (food & consumer categories within the group ecosystem)	https://www.dangote.com/	Procurement / Vendor Management	Large consumer-facing ecosystem that may source for distribution and supporting food/beverage operations (buyer fit depends on product category).
6	Sevana Foods (distribution & consumer supply chain)	https://sevanafoods.com/	Supply Chain Manager / Procurement Manager	Food-focused company with procurement needs and supply chain interfaces relevant to FMCG and beverage categories.
7	Nigerian Bottling Company (bottling & beverage distribution ecosystem)	https://nigerianbottling.com/	Procurement Manager / Sales & Distribution Manager	Major beverage operations often require procurement and supply partner engagement (confirm alignment to your client’s products).
8	Premier Foods Nigeria (consumer/F&B brands and channel distribution)	https://premierfoodsng.com/	Procurement / Key Account Manager	Brand and channel operations can connect to distributor/wholesale purchasing decisions depending on product category.
9	Nestlé Nigeria (F&B brands sourcing and procurement interfaces)	https://www.nestle.com/brands/nigeria	Procurement Manager / Supply Chain Lead	Large-scale F&B company with structured supplier onboarding; strong relevance where your product fits their sourcing.
10	Dangote Sugar Refinery & related consumer ingredient sourcing (if category fits)	https://www.dangoteindustries.com/	Procurement / Vendor Management	Ingredient and consumer supply chain role; can be a fit for ingredient-linked products (needs confirmation to avoid mismatch).
11	Boulevard Groups / FMCG distributor networks (representative buyer-type target)	https://boulevardgroup.com/	Distribution Manager / Procurement Lead	Distributor ecosystem alignment for packaged foods and beverages; suitable for wholesale and distribution channel offers.
12	Indomie (as a brand within broader FMCG distribution—confirm exact buyer structure)	https://www.indomie.com/	Supply Chain / Vendor Manager	FMCG brand presence often includes procurement interfaces and supplier relationships (confirm if your client supplies relevant categories).
13	Jumia Food / Jumia distribution ecosystem (hospitality/food ordering channel adjacency)	https://www.jumia.com.ng/	Partnerships Manager / Procurement (category partners)	Channel partner structures can support beverage/food brand introductions for retail-style demand (validate for FAB category fit).
14	International hospitality procurement networks (hotel groups / catering suppliers)	https://www.marriott.com/	Procurement Manager / Food & Beverage Manager	Hospitality buyers are explicitly relevant to FAB’s audience; hotel procurement teams can be direct buyers for beverage and food supplies.
15	International hospitality procurement networks (hotel groups / catering suppliers)	https://www.hyatt.com/	Director of Procurement / F&B Purchasing	Strong fit for hospitality purchasing; relevant where your client sells consumables used in food service operations.
16	Local wholesale & importer networks (representative buyer-type target for Lagos)	https://www.olamgroup.com/	Trade & Procurement Manager (F&B supply)	Supply chain and commodity-to-consumer connectivity; confirm if your client’s product category matches their trade operations.
17	Regional FMCG wholesalers (representative buyer-type target)	https://www.unilever.com/	Supply Chain Procurement / Vendor Management	Large consumer goods supply chain; can be a fit if your client supplies ingredients, packaging-adjacent, or related branded products (validate category).
18	Regional distributors (representative buyer-type target for West Africa)	https://www.ghana.bri.co.ke/	Distribution Manager / Procurement	Distributor-led distribution often connects with trade shows for supplier onboarding; validate by market coverage and category.

Important note: the official site excerpt does not provide an exhibitor/buyer roster for 2025/2026/2027. To keep accuracy high, we treat the table above as a buyer-style starter list. Once your client website is shared, we will produce a precisely matched buyer shortlist (priority-ordered) based on the exact product category and channel fit.

9) Client product fit check (we need your client website)

To recommend the best buyer set for your client (importers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers, and hospitality managers aligned with FAB West Africa attendee intent), please share:

• Your client website URL
• What you sell (food/beverage category, brands/private label, and variants)
• Target channel (retail grocery, wholesale/distribution, hospitality supply, or import trading)
• Geographies you prioritize (Nigeria only vs whole West Africa)

After we review the client’s website, we will respond with: (a) the best buyer segments, (b) the top job titles to target, and (c) a priority-ranked buyer company list matching FAB’s buyer profile.

10) Suggested industries to target (aligned to an Apollo-style industry filter list)

FAB West Africa is a food and beverage sourcing marketplace. Using common industry mapping (similar to industry filters used in prospecting platforms), the most relevant industry targets typically include:

• Food & Beverages
• Food Production
• Retail
• Supermarkets
• Restaurants
• Hospitality
• Wholesale
• Wine & Spirits (if applicable)
• Logistics & Supply Chain (for importer/distributor supporting roles)
• Import & Export (for trading/importer buyer types)
• Consumer Goods (if your product fits FMCG categories)

11) Final recommendation — Is FAB West Africa a good match for buyer list research?

Yes—FAB West Africa is highly relevant for buyer-focused research because the official positioning emphasizes: verified F&B importers, retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and hospitality managers, plus a strong international exhibitor presence and repeat exhibitor confidence (83% rebooking onsite for 2027 per the official site excerpt).

The strongest buyer outreach angles are:

• Importer & distributor onboarding for new product lines
• Retail category sourcing for packaged food & beverage brands
• Hospitality procurement for food service consumables and beverage supply
• West Africa route-to-market expansion (especially countries explicitly referenced by the event)

Next step (so we can finalize the “best buyers” list for your client)

Please paste your client’s website URL. Once we review it, we will return a tailored list of the best-fit buyers and job titles for FAB West Africa, prioritized for your product category and channel.