Every two years, Barcelona’s trade show venue becomes the beating heart of the food and beverage industry. Alimentaria, one of Europe’s largest food trade fairs, brings together thousands of brands, buyers and food professionals from around the world to discover what’s next on the shelf.
This March, Idilia Foods used the occasion to showcase a lineup of new products that signal a clear direction: bold flavours, playful formats, and a genuine focus on the moments when people really enjoy food. Two brands are leading here — ColaCao and Nocilla — and these aren’t niche products: they’re deeply woven into food culture here, the kind of brands people grow up with and stay loyal to.
At Alimentaria 2026, Idilia presented the next chapter for both brands — and it’s one that international audiences will find well worth paying attention to.
Nocilla goes pistachio — in two different ways
The pistachio trend has swept through food categories globally, and Nocilla is leaning into it with two distinct launches.
The first is Nocilla Pistachio Spread: a smooth, creamy spread with a genuine pistachio flavour and real crunchy pistachio pieces throughout. It keeps the DNA of Nocilla — indulgent, versatile, great on toast or straight from the jar — while offering something genuinely new for spread lovers looking beyond the classic cocoa&hazelnut.
The second is Nocilla Pistachio Mini Cookies: small cookies filled with Nocilla’s pistachio spread and dotted with white chocolate chips. They’re snackable, shareable, and sit neatly in the growing market for premium, flavour-filled biscuit formats. For anyone buying biscuits or spreads internationally, these are products that deserve a closer look.
Nocilla Booms Rellenas: The mini cookie with maximum filling
Also new from Nocilla is Booms Rellenas — and the name says it all. These button-shaped mini cookies are, according to Idilia, the most generously filled chocolate hazelnut cream cookies on the market. Crispy on the outside, packed with Nocilla spread on the inside, they come in an ultra-small format that makes them easy to snack on, portion out, or pack into lunchboxes.
Nocilla first entered the biscuit category in 2021, and Booms Rellenas marks a confident step deeper into that space — combining the brand’s signature spread with a format that plays on texture and convenience. For retailers and importers in the biscuit and snack aisle, this is a compelling addition.
ColaCao Crispy Rocks: A new twist on a classic drink
ColaCao has built its reputation on one thing: a rich, slightly grainy hot chocolate drink that generations of Spaniards have stirred into their morning milk. Crispy Rocks takes that foundation and adds a playful layer: vanilla-flavoured soluble cocoa mixed with small chocolate-coated cereal balls.
The idea is to enjoy the crunch first — the little balls floating in warm milk — and then savour the rest of the drink as it develops. It’s a sensory experience that goes beyond a simple flavour twist, making the act of drinking ColaCao a bit more interactive and fun. The product comes in a pack of six individual sachets, suited to on-the-go consumption or portion control. For markets where single-serve hot drinks are popular, this format has real commercial appeal.
Beyond Retail: A professional range worth noting
Alimentaria is as much a B2B event as it is a showcase for consumers, and Idilia used the show to also highlight the foodservice channel. Nocilla Profesional is a range designed specifically for the hospitality sector — hotels, cafés and restaurants — with formats and quantities adapted to professional kitchens. ColaCao, meanwhile, continues to push its individual sachet format for bars and cafés, enabling customers to enjoy the drink outside the home without any compromise on quality.
For international buyers or operators looking to introduce an iconic Spanish product into their food service offering, this is where the conversation starts.
The bigger picture
What Idilia is showing at Alimentaria isn’t just a set of new SKUs — it’s a company that knows how to evolve without losing what made it relevant in the first place. As CEO Xavi Pons put it at the fair: “Today, innovation isn’t just about launching new products — it’s about creating emotional connections with people. We innovate so our brands stay relevant and so we can create those meaningful moments that truly resonate with consumers.” The pistachio trend, the mini format boom, the single-serving shift: these are global movements, and Idilia is meeting them with products that feel considered rather than reactive.
For food buyers, distributors and industry professionals visiting or following Alimentaria 2026, Idilia’s stand at Pavilion 2 has been a reminder that some of the most interesting innovations are now coming from family-owned companies with decades of consumer trust behind them — and a clear eye on what comes next.
Copyright cover image: Alimentaria 2026