By Stef Schwalb
This past July, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, the 2018 Summer Fancy Food Show – owned and produced by the Specialty Food Association (SFA) – was in full force when it came to innovative and enticing new products from companies committed to taking the category next level.
With more than 30,000 estimated attendees and 2,400-plus companies exhibiting, the three-day extravaganza (which took place from June 30 to July 2) covered the specialty food industry from soup to nuts. The exhibitor list featured 1,300 companies from the United States, including Hawaii, Louisiana, New York and Vermont, among others, in addition to over 1,100 exhibitors from 54 countries, including France, Israel, Italy, Spain and more. This year, Greece served as the event partner country.
The show, which has been taking place since its inception in 1954, is currently “the largest marketplace devoted to exclusively specialty foods and beverages in North America.” Past events have helped launch several well-known industry brands including Ben & Jerry’s, Honest Tea and Popchips, and 2018 is bound to introduce the next generation of superstars now. From exotic flavors and spices being used in everyday foods and the “it” ingredients employed in a number of edible iterations, to sparkling beverages and upcycled products, inspiration was found at booths all throughout the 365,000-square-foot space.
Among the special exhibits and events, attendees – which consisted primarily of top professionals from specialty food service, local markets, restaurants and retailers – were able to check out industry newcomers at the “New Brands on the Shelf” pavilion; the sofi™ Awards Showcases for Outstanding Specialty Foods of the Year; the Incubator Village; What’s New, What’s Hot Showcases; the Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards Ceremony; and the sofi™ Awards Product of the Year announcement.
There was also Front Burner: A Food Service Pitch Competition, where three exhibitors pitched their products to a panel of specialty food buyers, and Business Builders 1-to-1, a customized matchmaking program for exhibitors to present to potential buyers in pre-arranged meetings. As is tradition each year, exhibitors continued to give back by donating thousands of pounds of food to the Specialty Food Foundation, which donates them to the Summer Fancy Food Show’s charity of choice, City Harvest.
According to the Special Food Foundation, total U.S. sales in specialty foods hit $140.3 billion in 2017 – up from 11 percent since 2015. The largest categories within that figure are cheese and plant-based cheese; frozen and refrigerated meat, poultry and seafood; and chips, pretzels and snacks.
The most rapid-growing categories within retail between 2015 and 2017 include frozen desserts; refrigerated entrees and yogurt and kefir. For 2018, a walk on the show floor presented several themes and products that continued to pop up throughout all three days. Sparkling and functional beverages, based on the SFA research, are expanding more quickly in market than food categories. This includes juices, water, teas, plant protein milk, craft cocktail mixers and alternatives, wellness shots and an assortment of healthy tonics and elixirs.
