Specialty Food Magazine

into customers' need for adventure and discovery around food and learning about and sharing other cultures. More than anything, it's a celebration of not only food and not only culture, but community. It's an amazing success story. I will also show Niemann Harvest Market, which is [Niemann Foods President and CEO] Rich Niemann's concept. We developed the name and prototype concept for that and built some of them. We just opened one in Indianapolis that is pretty amazing. We'll show how he's competing, not on price, not on variety, not on scale, not on reach, but around the idea of small family farms, and building an incredible brand around what farms mean to us, and it's an authentic story because Rich is a rancher. The third story that I am going to show is Freson Bros. out of Canada. They are an amazing story. They started in the '50s with one little, tiny butcher shop, and they built a chain that did great until the big international chains came in and surrounded them and pummeled them on price. To be honest, they just don't have the scale or the money to compete on price. So, we really had to get creative and dig into the family history. We tapped into the butcher heritage of the family, and their love of bread. They have incredible bread, and it just proves the point that quality sells. People love hearing this story, even when I present it to tech audiences, because they're so excited to see that humanity still has a place. I think it will be something we all want to have in our lives. Is there anything else that you're looking forward to at the Fancy Food Show yourself? I go to conferences all over the country and I study the human body and how our senses work. Each of us has a kind of an internal battery that gets worn out by information overload, and trade shows are one of the hardest places for humans to handle. But the Fancy Food Show does not wear out my internal battery. When I go there, I walk away with more energy than I came with, and that's because there are so many great things to see, and good people to meet. I love all the really differentiated products, and the crafted products. It's not only the food, it's also the packaging, and the ideas that they come up with, and the heritage and the geographies that they bring with food. I am a proud believer in the Fancy Food Show as a 'can't miss' event. I often tell my nonfood clients they should go to this conference: I promise you'll learn something not only about food, but about culture, and about branding, and about great business practices. Debut District to Platform New Products, Startups By George Hajjar Specialty Food Association is pleased to introduce its first-ever Debut District at the Summer Fancy Food Show. The area will help attendees easily discover early-stage specialty food makers as well as products that are new to the Show. "SFA is thrilled to invite all attendees to visit Debut District, a new area of the Show Floor that encompasses companies with new products, Incubator Village and startup companies, and companies that are Fancy Food Show first-time exhibitors or those who haven't exhibited with us in a while and are making their debut back," says Delia Murphy, SFA's vp of relations. "This area of the Show floor, which opens early for maximum visiting hours, is sure to become a 'go-to' area to see the newest products on the market from innovative makers." Located on Level 1, in Halls D and E, Show attendees may access the area earlier than the rest of the Show floor attractions. Key buyers can access Debut District at 9 a.m., and all attendees can explore the space at 9:30 a.m. The rest of the Show Floor will open at 10 a.m all three Show days. There are nearly 120 exhibitors in the area highlighting new products that have been released in the last 12 months and hundreds of first-time exhibitors. These makers will bring fresh energy, unique products, and novel ideas to the Show across myriad categories including appetizers and snacks; condiments, dressings, and marinades; oils and vinegars; coffee and hot cocoa; sauces; baking mixes; and cereals and granola. SUMMER 2024 59 George Hajjar is associate, content development for the Specialty Food Association Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food and SFA News Daily.

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