Specialty Food asked its 2023 class of Leadership Award winners to
weigh in on the challenges facing industry stakeholders in the new year.
"Inflation and the supply chain are
problematic. The challenge is to
not compromise on quality while
maintaining a reasonable price."
—David Kemp, Village Gourmet,
winner of the Leadership Award for Vision
"The freight costs to get our products to
customers. As a refrigerated brand, we
are not able to absorb those costs but
also do not want to pass them on."
—Mike Noonan, Bitchin' Sauce, winner of
the Leadership Award for Sustainability
"The consistency and reliability of
the supply chain is the top issue.
At retail, the challenge is to control
prices in an inflationary economy."
—Dwight Richmond, Town & Country Markets,
Leadership Award for Outstanding Buyer
"Companies need a lot of funding to be
successful and most entrepreneurs do
not have deep pockets. Plus, logistics are
getting more complicated and costly."
—David Schmunk, African Dream Foods,
Leadership Award for Emerging Leader (tie)
"I see a great opportunity for emerging
brands to fill the gaps in the marketplace.
We can take risks that the larger,
more established companies are
unwilling to take. We will see a lot
more innovation. The challenge will
be the funds to build distribution."
—Luke Schneider, Fire Department Coffee,
Leadership Award for Citizenship
"The rising costs of ingredients and
energy are creating a lot of challenges for
food entrepreneurs. They can only raise
prices a certain amount before buyers and
consumers will not spend for the products."
—Dani Zuchovicki, The Hatchery and Floured Apron,
Leadership Award for Emerging Leader (tie)
What do you see as the biggest issues
affecting specialty food businesses in 2023?
Ron Tanner is president of Tanner Food Group.
COMPILED AND EDITED BY RON TANNER
WINTER 2023 47
industry voices
