Vitafoods Europe 2026: NutraStar in Barcelona

Find Us in Barcelona This Week

Join NutraStar at Vitafoods Europe, May 5–7 in Barcelona, Spain. Visit booth #4C127 to discuss nutraceutical formulation, scalable manufacturing, and global partnership opportunities.

Why NutraStar Goes to Vitafoods

There is a reason supplement brands keep showing up to events like Vitafoods, and it is not just to collect tote bags.

“The main goal is to bring in new business and make sure it’s the right business,” says Michael. “We have the whole week to have conversations with potential clients, learn more about them, and see if it’s a good fit for us as well.”

But for NutraStar, trade shows are not just a sales exercise. They are a research trip.

Vitafoods draws raw material suppliers, ingredient innovators, and emerging brand founders from across the global market, all in one place. For a contract manufacturer that positions itself as a true partner and not just a production house, that kind of access is valuable well beyond any leads generated at the booth.

“There’s a lot of raw material suppliers there, and the supplement industry is very innovative, with new things and new trademarks coming out constantly,” Michael says. “There’s value for us to bring back to a customer that’s coming out with a new formulation. We can say, ‘Hey, I saw this new ingredient with controlled studies behind it, and if this is your goal, I think it would be a good fit for you.’ It gives us the opportunity to be innovative to our customers.”

That is the distinction most manufacturers miss. The booth is not the end of the story. It is where the partnership starts.

What’s Moving in the Market Right Now

Here is what the NutraStar team is watching on the floor this week.

GLP-1 alternatives are the loudest conversation in the room.

The pharmaceutical GLP-1 wave has created a massive demand signal for supplement brands. Consumers want the metabolic and fat-loss benefits without the injection. “Everyone’s looking for an alternative without taking an actual shot,” Michael says. Brands are rushing to serve this wave with appetite support, metabolic health, and blood sugar balance formulations in cleaner delivery formats.

Protein is getting a second act.

Sports nutrition has owned the protein conversation for years, but the format is evolving fast. Clear proteins are gaining real traction, with lighter, juice-like textures that appeal to a much broader consumer. “There are new avenues, new ways to consume it,” Michael notes. For brands in the protein space, this is a formulation and differentiation opportunity hiding in plain sight.

The overall health pivot is real.

“It’s around overall health rather than sports nutrition nowadays,” Michael says. Immunity, longevity, cognitive performance, stress adaptation: these categories are pulling attention away from the traditional sports supplement aisle. Brands that have been narrowly positioned in the gym-focused market are expanding, and manufacturers are seeing the shift in formulation requests.

Detox and cleanse remain evergreen.

Predicted to fade for years. They have not. Detox and cleanse SKUs continue to perform across channels, and brands keep coming back to them as reliable revenue drivers.

Who’s There and How to Reach Them

NutraStar’s team at Vitafoods Europe is small by design. Three people means focused conversations and no getting lost in a sea of badge scanners. If you are at the show and want to connect this week, here is exactly who to find.

What a Real Booth Conversation Looks Like

If you have done trade shows before, you know the speed-dating dynamic. You stop at a booth, someone hands you a brochure, rattles off capabilities, and asks for your card.

That is not what happens at the NutraStar booth.

“A lot of times brands aren’t looking, but you know they are, because they wouldn’t be at your booth if they weren’t,” Michael says. “They just don’t want the pressure of feeling like they have to choose you. So we focus on the conversation. Where are you right now? What’s working? What’s not?”

The goal is not to close someone at a show. It is to understand them well enough to have a real conversation when they get back to the office.

For brands that are actively evaluating manufacturers, Michael is direct about what questions you should be asking that most brands are not.

“The biggest thing isn’t capabilities. It’s quantities and timeline expectations. A lot of brands starting out want very low quantities because they’re not sure how volatile a new SKU is going to be. And timelines: if someone’s coming to me saying they need something done in four to six weeks, that’s just not achievable if you want it done right. A realistic timeline from first call to product ready to ship is 10 to 12 weeks.”

That kind of honesty upfront is not what most brands hear at a trade show booth. It is what helps them make better decisions.

What to Know Before You Reach Out

Come with an idea or a direction.

“Give me something to work with — the problem you’re trying to solve, the category you’re targeting, where you want this product to land. I can’t help you if I don’t have a starting point.” You don’t need a polished formula. A clear category target, a sense of who the product is for, and a rough idea of what you want it to do are enough to make the first conversation productive.

Think about your quantities honestly.

NutraStar is set up for brands that are ready to scale, not pilot-scale test runs. Coming to the conversation with realistic volume expectations sets the relationship up correctly from day one and helps us match you with the right production approach.

Do not underestimate the timeline.

Raw material lead times, label design approvals, QA review: these things take time. The 10-to-12-week window assumes you are prepared. Delays on your end extend that window. Plan accordingly.

Communication is the difference-maker.

“As long as they’re communicating, there’s really not much you’re going to have to work through,” Michael says. Brands that treat their manufacturer as a vendor, checking in only when something goes wrong, tend to have the hardest time. Brands that communicate consistently move faster and get more from the partnership.

How NutraStar Stays Ahead of the Market

One thing that does not get mentioned often enough: NutraStar’s R&D team is actively involved in trend research alongside clients.

“Some of my best customers are ones that are constantly thinking about new materials coming to market,” Michael says. “They’ll look at market data and studies on a new ingredient and send me their thinking. I’ll get my R&D team involved to see what they think, and we’ll give feedback together. We collaborate because we have a pulse on the market the same way they do.”

That is what partnership looks like in practice. Not just producing what you send, but actively thinking with you about what is worth sending in the first place.