Four Virginia agribusinesses will exhibit at the 2023 Gulfood Trade Show in Dubai, February 20-24. Celebrating its 28th year, Gulfood is the world’s largest food and beverage sourcing event with representatives from more than 125 countries. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is supporting the exhibition of Clark + Hopkins Artisanal Sauces, Commercial Lynks, LillyBean by PastryBase, and the Plant Based Seafood Company at this year’s event. “I’m thrilled that we are helping to introduce Virginia products to the Middle East,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. “We are proud of our Virginia companies and are excited for their global success.” Gulfood presents new business opportunities and a platform to introduce Virginia’s products and capabilities to the Middle East. The four exhibiting companies offer a wide range of products from top-quality grains and pulses to vegan and organic specialty foods and sauces. Commercial Lynks, an agricultural commodities supplier based in Northern Virginia, specializes in high-quality U.S. grown grain. The company also works with the USDA to provide commodities to food-insecure communities and disaster relief programs around the world. Clark + Hopkins Artisanal Sauces, a two-time SOFI Award winner and recipient of numerous other awards including a SCOVIE Award for their Chesapeake Bay Bloody Mary Mix, will present a flight of hot sauces inspired and derived from global culinary experiences. Clark + Hopkins has also launched #UkraineHotSauceMission, a hot sauce inspired by the cuisine of Ukraine where proceeds benefit World Central Kitchen and their efforts to feed the Ukrainian people. LillyBean by PastryBase offers those with food allergies a delicious and easy solution to baking gourmet, safe and allergen-free desserts. Featuring vegan sugars and gluten-free flours, LillyBean’s natural products can be found throughout the U.S. and Canada. Lilly Bean has received many accolades and awards including a SOFI Award for “Best New Product.” Plant Based Seafood Co. will present its groundbreaking brand, Mind Blown™, which includes frozen crab cakes, coconut and dusted shrimp, and recently developed shelf-stable scallop, all made from meat alternatives with healthy, delicious and sustainable methods. Mind Blown was recently recognized on the Real Leaders’ Impact Awards list as one of the “world’s top impact companies who are leading the way in business as a force for good.”