Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish you a warm welcome to our press breakfast today. My name is Guido Hentschke, Director of ProSweets Cologne and ISM Ingredients. I am delighted to welcome you here today to give you an insight into the exciting future of ProSweets Cologne and of ISM Ingredients in particular.

As of February 2026, ISM Ingredients will be staged as an independent format under the ISM brand and will place its focus on raw materials & ingredients. In future, you will find ISM Ingredients in Hall 10.1, as part of ISM. A unique stage for raw materials, ingredients and semi-finished products - the basis for every product - will arise here.

Why this move?

The industry has given us clear signals: The synergies between the providers of raw materials and producers have to be put to better use and this is exactly where ISM Ingredients comes into play. Our vision is to connect the entire value chain of sweets and snacks production more closely and to promote new solutions for sustainable production.

But let me briefly address the current situation that is affecting us all. The sweets and snacks industry is faced with huge challenges today: the rising prices of raw materials, the climate change, the cocoa crisis and the increased demands for sustainability are demanding new, creative approaches. Ingredients and raw materials are the key to encountering these challenges and at the same time to fulfilling the wishes of the consumers for quality, taste and responsibility.

One example of the innovative power that ISM Ingredients promotes is the company Planet A Food with its product Choviva - a chocolate that is made completely without cocoa beans. Such alternative solutions demonstrate how the industry is finding answers to urgent challenges like the cocoa crisis and the demands for sustainability. We not only want to present these pioneering approaches at ISM Ingredients, but indeed actively support and further develop them.

We are actively co-shaping the future of the industry with ISM Ingredients. Especially in times when the availability and quality of raw materials is becoming increasing more critical, it is decisive that we all network much more closely as an industry and find new ways together.

What makes ISM Ingredients so special?

With a future-oriented congress and event format we aim to offer you and the industry true added value. This includes lectures on themes like sustainability, alternative raw materials and new production developments as well as manifold networking opportunities to bring suppliers and producers together in a targeted manner. Of course the popular Ingredients Special Show will continue to be a key element.

What does this mean for ProSweets Cologne?

ProSweets Cologne remains to be an independent trade fair and will in future focus even more strongly on the machines, plants and packaging solutions sections as well as on food safety and quality. This new segmentation creates clear focuses and strengthens the existing formats.

With the establishment of ISM Ingredients we are betting on new strength, growth and innovation. Ingredients and raw materials are the key drivers for progress in the industry - and we are granting them the scope they deserve.

I will be heading ISM Ingredients and I am convinced that we will continue writing the same success story with ISM Ingredients as we did at ProSweets Cologne.

I heartily invite you to join us on this path. Let's shape ISM Ingredients together and turn it into the international hub for raw materials and ingredients. Let's create a platform together that sets new international standards - in progress, sustainability and success.