Specialty Food Association Announces Cohort for 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show
The Specialty Food Association is excited to announce the 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show (included) cohort. (included) is a mission-driven collective of BIPOC founders and executives, dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and creating equitable opportunities for diverse leaders across the consumer packaged goods ecosystem. The ten brands selected for the (included) Cohort will debut as SFA members at the Show Jan. 21-23, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Since 2022, the SFA has been a proud supporter of (included), which made its debut at the Summer Fancy Food Show. “Partnering with (included) is an important initiative for the Specialty Food Association,” said Bill Lynch, president, SFA. “As a not-for-profit trade association striving to create a more diverse community in the specialty food industry, working with (included) allows us to bring more BIPOC makers to market through the Fancy Food Shows.”
“As a proudly Asian American frozen dumpling brand, Sobo faces a lot of challenges breaking into retail and getting in front of customers. Storytelling from behind a pane of frosty glass is hard enough as it isthis is compounded by the fact that Sobo is SO new – we only launched a few months ago – and that we’re trying to tell nuanced stories about the flavors that we grew up with as the children of immigrants,” said Eric Ji Sun Wu, Co-Founder and CEO, SOBO. “We knew that the Winter Fancy Food Show would be Sobo’s big introduction to the world of grocery, but we were certainly stressing about how we’d be able to stand out on a limited budget. Thanks to (included) we’ve found some unbelievable mentors, peers and cheerleaders to help Sobo make the splash we knew we had to at our first big trade show.”
“Three years ago Barlow’s was just an idea that started out of my home kitchen. I had a wild idea that our better for you 3in1 pancake biscuit waffle mix and line of seasonal syrups needed to be on everyone’s table. The thought of exhibiting at tradeshows seemed out of scope for us due to the need to maximize resources, logistics and the overall lack of tradeshow experience from a brand perspective,” said Tiffani Neal, Founder and CEO, Barlow’s Foods. “(included) is bridging the gap for Barlow’s and so many other emerging brands. To have a space to share the journey of this industry that provides a platform for us to be seen and heard is immeasurable. SFA is where it’s at, the partnership for the upcoming Winter Fancy Food Show is not only right on time but has the opportunity to be a game changer for us. For this we are forever grateful!”
Said Stefanie Garcia Turner, Founder and CEO, TUYYO, “I am thrilled to be debuting my brand TUYYO at the SFA show with the incredible support of the (included) community. It is a joy to be amongst other BIPOC and woman-owned businesses as we shape the next generation of inclusive food and beverage brands.”
The Winter Fancy Food Show is the largest B2B specialty food event in the western United States and features thousands of specialty food and beverage products from around the world. The Show is open only to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates and journalists. For more information, click here.