Last week’s Specialty Food Live! was even more successful than the inaugural event in September. Hundreds of food makers showcased over 10,000 new and bestselling products in virtual showrooms, earning more than 9,300 views throughout the four-day event. In addition, there were nearly 16,000 connections and more than 5,500 messages between makers and buyers.
Four virtual tastings, focusing on rising trends like plant-based products, functional foods, snacks, and restaurant-quality food at home, took place throughout the week, giving makers the opportunity to present their products to a small group of buyers who received the product sample ahead of time.
Educational sessions included Disruptors Empower Consumers to Be Better Than Normal, 5 Steps to Gathering Consumer Insights, Retailers, Makers Share Lessons From Holiday Season Like No Other, Consumers Experiment With Fine Chocolate During Pandemic, and Restaurant-Level Products, Values-Based Shopping Top Specialty Food Live! Trends.
The winners of SFA’s 2021 Leadership Awards were also celebrated in a ceremony hosted by past winner Lisa Curtis, founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli.
SFA thanks the platinum sponsors of the event, Crisp, Catapult Commercialization Services, The Non-GMO Project, Gerber Finance, Progress Luv2Pak International, and Zipline.