[media invite] Café Asia 2019, International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo 2019 (ICT Expo 2019), Sweets & Bakes Asia 2019 and Restaurant Asia 2019

March 29, 2019

The Café Asia 2019, International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo 2019 (ICT Expo 2019) and Sweets & Bakes Asia 2019 was held over 3 days, from the 21st of March to the 23rd March 2019 together with the inaugural Restaurant Asia 2019 at the Marina Bay Sand Singapore Expo & Convention Centre. Singapore has an international reputation as a food haven. It offers myriad cuisine and dining experiences.

PureCircle is the world's leading producter and innovator of Stevia Sweetener. With their newly launched and improved Stevia Leaf Sweetener - 'Reb M', food and beverage companies are now using this ingredient for greater tasting experiences without the calories of sugar.

Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America. Today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and USA. All PureCircle’s Stevia Sweeteners are plant-based and non-GMO certified.

I was introduced to Bonsoy way back in 2016, when I attended the Nature’s Glory event. I was surprised to see them during my visit.

Bonsoy is a truly healthy and nutritious drink. It has a natural, full bodied mellow aroma with a subtle, mildly sweet flavor. It is also lactose free; people who are allergic to milk can enjoy it with an ease of mind. Bonsoy is a non-dairy product, and it is made from certified organic soybeans that are free from harmful pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and genetic modifications, all these can be commonly found in non-organic soybean beverages.

At the same time, I was introduced to their newly launched product, Organic Coconut Milk drinks which comes in many variants such as Madagascan Vanilla, Himalayan Salted Caramel and Belgian Chocolate.

We were given some sample tasting at the booth, and I love their Salted Caramel very much. Thanks for the try out on the Vanilla flavor, which was we found inside our media kits!

Pic’s is a truly natural peanut butter and it is gluten-free too. It only contains only two ingredients in the peanut butter - Peanuts and Sea Salt! It was awarded Cuisine Magazine’s Artisan Food of the Year -2010.

The NO SALT appears in a white band around the edge of the lid, which will help prevent you buying the wrong one.

In today's world, most of us are used to having straws whenever we have a beverage. However, these straws are detrimental to the environment, and are one of the major contributors to plastic waste. However, to better protect and care for our natural environment, Eco-friendly straws are now a trending and popular item!

These eco-friendly rice straws are now having their debut in Singapore at the ‘Cafe Asia 2019.’ The straws are produced by Penang-based Nlytech Biotech Sdn Bhd, and they are Halal-certified. These edible straws are made of a combination of rice and tapioca, and are fully biodegradable. They decompose within 90 days!

Next, (we checked out 'Naylor's' Coleslaw which is from the UK. They are manufactured and packaged at Naylor's Farm which is all Halal certified.

For Naylors Coleslaw, there are four different flavors – Original, Cheese, Reduced Fat, and Chipotle. The Original version was creamy and with an underlying sweetness hint from the produce. The Reduced Fat version comes with 30% less fat!

I tried them in turns except for the Chipotle flavor, as they mentioned they did not bring any in for this event. Every flavor comes with chunky fresh cabbage, and it tasted pretty tasty.

My personal favorite though has got to be Naylors Potato Salad. If you are a fan of potato like me, you are in luck, as Naylors Potato Salad is made ready to eat straight from the fridge!