The wake of the pandemic continues to be felt in the food industry, and the current period of economic uncertainty has necessitated specialty food makers to rethink their channel strategy.
Specialty Food Association asked industry stakeholders about the topic as part of its State of the Specialty Food Industry + 10-Year Category Tracking and Forecasts, 2023-2024 edition. Following are some responses. You can view full video interviews by purchasing this year’s report.
• “The pandemic amplified [what was already happening]: if you’re coming into foodservice without a strategy, and without the right pricing in place, you’re going to wind up upside down or selling nothing.”—Stephanie Lind, founder, Elohi Strategic Advisors
• “[Although it] has taken a hit, I am optimistic on foodservice. People are generally still, even if their pockets are tighter, going to spend their discretionary income on experiences.” Tom Gellert, president, Atalanta
• “Foodservice completely went away in 2020 and it’s still not back to where we want it to be. We were about 50/50 before and we’re now about 40/60. Because of the nature of our cheeses, we’re focusing on large institutional foodservice accounts.”—Jill Giacomini Basch, owner, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese
• “Back in the day, product came out and you needed a distributor to work on your products to cover all store levels. But I think the industry has changed, and you have to follow the trend. We’re more interested in going direct to consumer.” –Priscilla Suh, founder, Sauce Up NYC
Related: Industry Voices: What Are You Investing In?; Fancy Food Show Preview: Understanding Foodservice Trends With Mike Kostyo