Specialty Food Magazine

WINTER 2018

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.

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association news FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA In addition to following the Specialty Food Association on Twitter for the latest updates and reminders about events and programs, be sure to follow other Association Twitter handles in dedicated areas: @SFANews: Top industry headlines from Specialty Food News, plus updates about exclusive online content. @SFACommunity: Announcements from the members-only online Solution Center, a community of industry professionals. @SpecialtyFoodFN: The Twitter account of the Specialty Food Foundation. @PresidentSFA: The Twitter account of Association President Phil Kafarakis FROM THE SOLUTION CENTER: OVERHEARD ON THE Q&A; FORUM The Solution Center's Q&A; Forum affords Association members the opportunity to discuss challenges, share knowledge, and network with peers. Here are snippets of some recent discussions. Corporate Gifts. "Squaring away the [corporate] holiday gift is just one task among dozens of other end-of-year tasks for this buyer. So in addition to excellent product quality, they are look- ing for a vendor that can fulfill on time and under budget. I also can't stress enough how greatly they appreciate clear, readily accessible information on what your corporate program offers." Generating Product Excitement on Social Media. "Food brands need to definitely get on board with Instagram. There is a ton of potential for great brand awareness ... Don't expect to see direct sales from there but it is a way to continue growing audience as well as a great loyalty activator." Five Recruiting Tips for Small Businesses. "Your staff repre- sents your brand. For this reason, they must be invested in doing the right thing, even when you are not present." Pitch Decks. "Less is more. Don't try to cram your slides full of information and text. Investors treat pitch decks like HR recruiters treat resumes—they spend a cursory glance at them ... try to write as if each word will cost you $50—keep that in mind when building your deck." Selling Direct vs. Using a Distributor. "Know if your sales plan is to be regional or national. If your plan is regional, it's much more realistic that you'll be able to sell direct. If you decide to go national, unless you have a huge pot of money in your closet, the distributor route is your most cost-effective option." The Solution Center Q&A; Forum is open exclusively to members of the Specialty Food Association. SFA members are welcome to join the discussion related to these and other topics by logging into the Solution Center with their username and password. —Andrea Meyer Specialty Food Business Summit to Focus on Product Development A product development boot camp will take place at the Specialty Food Business Summit 2018, in Dallas, April 8-10. The event is targeted to SFA member compa- nies and will include presentations from product devel- opment experts as well as opportunities to network. Day one of the event will be dedicated to Innovation with attendees learning how to identify trends, acquire and use syndicated data, make key decisions, plan rollouts, and prepare for product launches. Interactive elements will include small group work and hands-on sensory panel experiences. The theme on day 2 will be Launch with attendees selecting one of three tracks in which to participate. The tracks are: Compliance: regulations, quality, and safety; Sales: strategies, pitching, and selling online; and Marketing, sweepstakes, email, content mar- keting, social media, and press. For more information visit specialtyfood.com/summit18 FRONT BURNER HEATS UP JAN. 22 T he Front Burner Pitch Competition, presented by the Specialty Food Association's Foodservice Council, will take place Monday, January 22, 2018, from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Three finalists, representing brands exhibiting at the show, will appear on stage and deliver a pitch-style presentation about their product to a panel of judges. The judges will taste each product and assign scores for innovation, quality, and chef-appeal for foodservice. The winner will receive a promotional package from the Specialty Food Association including an ad in Specialty Food Magazine, editorial coverage in Specialty Food News, and more. FRONT BURNER PITCH COMPETITION P R E S E N T E D BY T H E F O O D S E RV I C E CO U N C I L 28 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com

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