Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1119718
Message from President Phil Kafarakis The Specialty Food Association never tires of promoting and celebrating the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of our industry. This issue celebrates some of that energy and it's a great lead-in to our 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show. As SFA's president, I have the privilege to participate in the activities of the show in ways that bring me into contact with the widest range of attendees and exhibitors. Meeting all of you is the highlight of every event for me. Seeing the enthusiasm of attending buyers and distributors visiting with dedicated producers has me coming away from every Fancy Food Show thinking that in this great industry the opportunities for business success are endless! We extend the show experience to include education and preparedness. Helping you succeed is our full-time job and providing opportunities to engage with subject matter experts is a way to do that. We encourage you to participate in our extensive programming when you're at the show, which takes place Sunday, June 23 through Tuesday, June 25. For example, our Maker Space workshop sessions are held all three days of the show, the Lifetime Achievement Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place on Sunday, and the Front Burner Foodservice Pitch Competition is scheduled for Monday night. Another important thought-leadership event I encourage you to attend is our "Disruptors Panel" on Tuesday morning at the show. The session o'ers provocative conversations about non-traditional solutions to our industry's ever-changing landscape. The panel is composed of food entrepreneurs and industry business leaders who are spearheading real change in important areas like agri-food, guerrilla marketing, product innovation, and the development of unique business structures. I select the Disruptor session participants myself—reaching out to folks I have met during the year whose energy and commitment to improving the planet through food has moved me. These are innovators and entrepreneurs who are defying the status quo and who stand ready to share their vision for a new future. I certainly find them inspirational and think you will too. Our SFA Fancy Food Shows continue to be the largest in North America that focus on specialty food and beverage. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the aisles at this year's Summer Fancy Food Show! And please plan to attend our 2020 Shows—the Winter Fancy Food Show will be held January 19-21 in San Francisco and the Summer Show will take place June 28-30 in New York City. Phil Kafarakis President, Specialty Food Association Follow me @PresidentSFA Message from the President 24 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com