ProSweets Cologne 2025 was staged in Cologne from 2 to 5 February and it confirmed its significance as the must-attend event for the international supplier industry of the sweets and snacks sector. The trade fair experience was characterised by optimism and a tangible euphoria from the very start - enhanced by a revised hall concept that created clear structures and new theme worlds, as well as new event and content formats that provided fresh impetus. This was further accentuated by the placement of Lab5 by ISM in Hall 10.1, which as an innovation hub brought additional dynamics to the trade fair happenings. With over 250 exhibitors from 32 countries, ProSweets Cologne was once again able to top the figures of the previous years. The share of foreign exhibitors was 65 %. The majority of the exhibitors came from Germany, Italy, China, Turkey, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Great Britain and Spain. In total over 16,000 trade visitors from 85 countries attended ProSweets Cologne 2025 - an over 23 % increase compared to last year. The exhibitors were impressed by the quality of the visitors and used the trade fair intensively for business transactions, networking, a professional exchange and as a central knowledge hub for industry trends. Many of the exhibitors relied on "tangible" machines and production solutions - in the form of impressive demonstrations and examples of best practice, which made it possible to experience the practical benefits and industry innovations first hand. With the introduction of ISM Ingredients from February 2026 onwards, the growth section raw materials, ingredients and semi-finished products is moving closer to the ISM producers to maximise the synergies between suppliers and manufacturers. As such, the positive upwards trend of this year's ProSweets Cologne is ongoing and the trade fair is being further reinforced as a platform for forward-looking developments.
Together with ISM, ProSweets Cologne presented itself as the biggest global industry get-together of the sweets and snacks sector. The trade fair kicked off with a star-studded panel on the Mercosur Trade Agreement that examined the opportunities and challenges for the industry. With the participation of Rupert Schlegelmilch, EU Chief Negotiator of the Agreement, as well as further international stakeholders from political, business and industry circles, the discussion offered valuable insights into the impact on global supply chains and the supplier industry.
The unique trade fair duo bundles the entire value chain under the umbrella of the "Sweet Week" - from raw materials, to packaging, through to the finished product. The close interlinking of both events created valuable synergies and promoted the exchange between manufacturers, the trade and industry experts.
As the only global supplier fair for the sweets and snacks industry, ProSweets Cologne has further increased its relevance and innovative power. With a clear focus on themes like AI, digitalisation and future technologies, the trade fair set new benchmarks and drove the growth and innovation of the industry forward. Beyond this, the networking was raised to a new level because the event promoted the exchange and the collaboration between international suppliers, sweets manufacturers and innovative start-ups. ProSweets Cologne thus offers the ideal setting for leading the industry into the digital future and opening up new business opportunities.
"With the strategic realignment of ProSweets Cologne and the introduction of ISM Ingredients from 2026 onwards, we are setting targeted new impulses in a future-oriented growth section. This new trade fair format presents the raw materials of the future and strengthens the Raw Materials and Ingredients section, which is becoming increasingly more important due to the rising prices for raw materials and the global challenges. At the same time, the still independently operating ProSweets Cologne trade fair format will in future focus even more strongly on machines, plants, packaging solutions as well as on food safety and quality solutions whilst also promoting innovations along the entire value chain", explained Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Successful premiere of the Sweet Week Production Summit
The Sweet Week Production Summit that was staged for the first time on 3 February, was dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, digitalisation and effective matchmaking. The format was initiated to encourage targeted networking between production teams and the supplier industry of ProSweets Cologne. First-class examples of best practice and interactive sessions offered valuable insights into the future of production technology. The participants were impressed by the trend themes presented, networking possibilities and inspiration. The ProSweets Cologne Party, which offered the opportunity for exchange and networking, was one of the evening highlights.
Lab5 by ISM: Meeting point for innovation and cooperation
Lab5 by ISM, which was located in Hall 10.1 for the first time in 2025, proved to be a strategic enrichment. The spatial and thematic proximity to the Raw Materials & Ingredients and Packaging Materials sections of ProSweets Cologne underscored the significance of synergies between manufacturers and suppliers. Lab5 by ISM is an integral part of ISM and proved to be a crowd-puller with its New Product Showcase, Start-ups, Scale-ups, Trend Snacks, Finest Creations and the Club of the Confectionery Shops sections.
Event highlights: Top-class stage programme, DLG Careers Day, Ingredients Special Show and Guided Tours
The Expert Stage served as a knowledge hub and examined key themes such as sustainability, digitalisation, AI, the rising prices of raw materials and the lack in skilled labour. The programme was divided up into theme days and kicked off on 2 February with a Careers Day in cooperation with the DLG. The Careers Day offered students and young professionals the opportunity to establish industry contacts and inform themselves in the course of company pitches. Further highlights included a Sustainability Day and a theme day on AI/Digitalisation and Marketing Hacks.
"The new hall concept, the depiction of the product sections using theme worlds and a closer connection to ISM were a successful step towards exploiting the synergies of the two trade fairs more efficiently. As a result of the thematic and spatial proximity, the manufacturers and suppliers were able to engage in a more targeted exchange and make use of synergies along the entire value chain. Ultimately, high-quality content, targeted networking and the right impulses for innovations are what make the difference - and this year's event impressively demonstrated precisely that", stated Carola K. Herbst, Deputy Managing Director of the DLG Competence Centre Agriculture And Food.
The new joint stage of ISM and ProSweets Cologne, Sweet Week Talks & Tasting, offered a diversified programme with interactive lectures, start-up pitches, live tastings with creators, workshops and live podcasts. In the sensory workshop with the food expert and futurist, Hanni Rützler, the participants expanded their taste buds and learnt how to precisely recognise and name the five primary tastes - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. With the aid of a hosted tasting, the fine senses for the variety of aromas was sharpened and sensory perception was addressed in-depth. A further highlight was the lecture by Kokomodo's CEO and co-founder, Tal Govrin. He presented the company's innovative cocoa technology, which produces cocoa for the cellular agriculture. Tal Govrin explained how this trailblazing technology can foster the future of the chocolate industry.
The "Ingredients Special Show - Functional and Climate-Conscious" special area presented products of the future - including sustainable crispbread made from chestnut flour (My Makery, Germany), lab-grown salmon (Wildtype, USA), lab-grown cocoa (Kokomodo, Israel) and bean-free coffee (Prefer Coffee, Singapore).
The Guided Tours of the DLG e.V. and of Sweets Global Network whisked the participants off on a journey through the highlights of the trade fair and offered valuable opportunities to discover new technologies and products. The DLG Guided Tours gave insights into the World of Sweet & Snackable Ingredients. The Sweets Global Network Guided Tours provided a comprehensive overview of the entire value chain.
The figures of ProSweets Cologne 2025:
252 suppliers from 32 countries exhibited at ProSweets Cologne 2025, 65 % of whom came from abroad. Among them were 87 exhibitors from Germany and 165 exhibitors from abroad. Over 16,000 trade visitors from around 85 countries attended ProSweets Cologne 2025, the foreign share was around 56 %.
The next ProSweets Cologne will take place from 01.-04.02.2026.
Koelnmesse – industry trade fairs for the food technology sector: Koelnmesse is an international leader in organising trade fairs in the field of food and beverage processing. Anuga FoodTec and ProSweets Cologne are established, world-leading trade fairs, hosted in Cologne/Germany. In addition to the events at its Cologne headquarters, Koelnmesse also stages further food technology trade fairs with different sector-specific areas of focus and content in key markets across the world, including India, Italy and Colombia. These global activities enable Koelnmesse to offer its customers bespoke events and leading regional trade fairs in a variety of markets, thus creating the foundation for sustainable international business. Koelnmesse is also ideally positioned in the field of food and beverages with its leading international trade fairs Anuga and ISM and its global network of satellite events.
Further information: https://www.prosweets.com/fair/industry-sectors
The next events:
India International Livestock Expo , Mumbai 16.04. - 18.04.2025
Anuga FoodTec India - India’s global gateway to cutting-edge technology for the food & beverage industry, Mumbai 20.08. - 22.08.2025
Cibus Tec Forum - Exhibition & Conference on Food & Beverage Technologies Trends, Parma 28.10. - 29.10.2025
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