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/769179
association news Big changes to sofi Awards E ntries for the 2017 sofi Awards open on February 1, 2017, and there are changes afoot for this year's awards: Expanded categories: The number of categories has increased from 28 to 39, giving entrants chances to enter their product where it can be most competitive. Makeover and expansion of New Product awards: Rather than simply have one New Product Category, each of the 39 sofi categories will also award a New Product winner, increasing the opportunities for newcomers to take home an award. More Ways to win—four winners per category: Replacing the previous system of finalists and winners, each category will now have one Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze, as well as one New Product winner. New: sofi product of the year: The one entry that earns the absolute high- est score across all categories will be named sofi Product of the Year. Entries are open February 1–15 at sofiawards.com. If you have questions about how these changes will affect the entry process, email us at sofiawards@specialtyfood.com. SFA Hosts 'Go to Market' Education Conference in Madison T he Upper Midwest Go to Market Conference was held in Madison, Wis., in October. The conference was part of a series designed to help specialty food manufacturers learn how to sell to distributors, food- service, small retailers, and supermarkets. Sixty-five people attended the conference, held at the Discovery Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison cam- pus, to gain valuable insight from experts in the indus- try on these important topics. Tom Knibbs of Urban Accents kicked off the con- ference with a discussion of how to prepare for buyer meetings. The session helped participants to better understand the relationship between buyers and sell- ers, and focused on the importance of research and preparation before walking into that first meeting. Other key points included how to craft a memorable meeting presentation, what to bring to your presenta- tion, and how to properly follow up with buyers once the meeting is over. Beth Haley, vice president of vendor relations for DPI Specialty Foods, continued the morning with a discussion of how to partner with a distributor. She touched on the benefits of partnership, and how to engage in that relationship, the on-boarding process of bringing in a distributor, and the implementation and sales development. Jeanne Carpenter, specialty cheese buyer for Metcalfe's Markets, spoke to attendees about selling to supermarkets. She discussed the important differences between a supermarket and a specialty food store, and the overall process of selling to the "big guys." She also went through the process of meeting with a buyer from a big name store, including preparing for your appointment with advance research, bringing samples and important product information, how to make an effective product pitch, how to talk pricing, and how to follow up after your product presentation. Greg O'Neill of Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine gave tips on how to effectively sell to specialty food stores, noting the importance of doing your homework ahead of time to know your target retailer, your channel of trade, your competition, and your product requirements. Fekri Zainoba of Oskri, a leading manufacturer in the natural food industry, spoke about his journey to sell to natural food stores and how to approach natural food buyers. The conference wrapped up with a discussion on the benefits of exporting, led by John Belmont of the Food Export Association of the Midwest. He touched on how the Association is beneficial to its member states, as well as the overseas opportunities and chal- lenges of exporting. presented by 104 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com