For background, the Specialty Foods Association’s (SFA) mission is to shape the future of food by championing, nurturing and connecting their members to deliver innovative products and expand the consumption of specialty foods. They have built a culture based on core values that include transparency and integrity to inspire sustainability, creativity and expand their industry. To promote those values, the SFA hosts trade shows to encourage networking, opportunity and the building of lasting relationships. The latest Summer Fancy Food Show was held at the Javits Center in New York City, Sunday through Tuesday, June 12-14 and was attended by our hosts, Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall. They recap their adventure in this episode. The unfortunate sideline of Sarah Masoni catching COVID and being down for a couple of days did not dampen the thrills of this incredible event. The event was full; lots people, interest, new food items and enthusiasm for a more normal business environment. Our hosts wanted to share information about the people they met, the food they ate and about food shows in general and what a vital part of the industry they provide. To start, there were over 1,700 exhibitors displaying foods from all over the globe so that gives you an idea of the enormity of knowledge the participants are exposed to. Sarah Marshall also visited the Good Food Mercantile Show the day before the Fancy Foods Show, which is a great way to increase her network. Good Food Mercantile tends to be more specialty foods merchants and a smaller venue, so there is a completely different viewpoint than Fancy Foods. Sarah encourages all food entrepreneurs to see as many of the good trade shows as their budget allows to keep growing their base of contacts and keep abreast of what’s happening in the trade. While in New York for the show, Sarah Masoni also did a film clip to be shown in the Chicago Museum of Ice Cream. Opening July 17th, the Museum is very experiential and interactive and fun for the whole family. Sarah Marshall’s philosophy on travel is to find one fun thing to do each day, so while in New York, she and Sarah Masoni walked The High Line to the Chelsea Market. Then, it was visit to Art Tech House where there was an exhibit called “Life of a Neuron”, which is evidently an amazing film. They also visited Mercado Little Spain and enjoyed some of the best olives they had ever eaten; and that compliment comes from a couple of olive experts. Sarah Masoni presented at the Fancy Foods awards ceremony and recognized those in the food industry who had contributed for years to its success. One story of note was from the person who introduced the Calamata olive to the US; it was encouraging, inspirational and heartfelt. And there were many other stories of food pioneers who brought new tastes and experiences to the US. The main Fancy Foods Show mission remains: Be more of a community than a trade show. Make the participants feel included and that they also have equity in promoting nutritious, creative and delicious food that is part of the wonderful experience of being human. SFA culture: https://www.specialtyfood.com/specialty-food-association/about-us/culture/. Good Food Mercantile: https://goodfoodfdn.org/mercantile/. Chicago Museum of Ice Cream: https://www.museumoficecream.com/chicago. Little Spain: https://www.littlespain.com/.
Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.
Call our hotline with questions for Sarah and Sarah at 503-395-8858. If you would like to support our show, write us a review, share episodes with friends, or subscribe to our Patreon.
Producer: Sarah Marshall of The Joy of Creation Production House
Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo designed: Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch
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