It has been heartbreakingly announced that Kosherfest, the yearly event that drew kosher food manufacturers, consumers, and vendors in droves each year, would not be returning.
The decision to end Kosherfest was painful, the organizers said in an email. “After extensive discussions with our consultant, bellwether exhibitors, and very thorough analysis, we have made the difficult decision,” they said. “Exhibitors feel Kosherfest has run its course and there is no longer a significant ROI to justify exhibiting at the show,” says one exhibitor, “due to today’s changing supermarket category manager buying responsibilities and the elimination of the kosher buyer in many major supermarket chains.”
Kosherfest has become too specialized of a niche to make sense as a result of the market-crushing developments that have been years in the making.
The kosher food sector increasingly falls under the grocery buyer’s responsibilities inside retail chains, according to the organizers. “Since this buyer is in charge of sourcing and acquiring a wide range of goods, they are more likely to go to culinary events that include foods other than only kosher goods. A kosher-only certified food expo like Kosherfest is too specialized for their presence.
The organizers, who had already started making plans for the next show, have pledged to return all payments within the upcoming two to three weeks in light of the change of plans.
