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.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/912382
association news Message from President Phil Kafarakis As 2018 gets underway, I find myself energized by everything I've been learning from the remarkable people working in and with the specialty food industry. You'll see what I mean when you read the profiles we've included here on the winners of our Leadership Awards. The Award recipients are good citizens as well as good business people. Their work, like so much of the work done in specialty food, honors communities and helps those in need as well as those committed to building a better planet. I also continue to be fascinated by the changes I see coming for our industry. The evolution we're witnessing in how consumers shop, what they're looking for—their assertive search for honest, authentic, and clean foods—is making a serious impact in retail as well as on Big Food. Have you been following the news stories? Amazon buys Whole Foods, Nestle is selling off its candy business, grocery chains are serving fewer consumers after building up the number and size of their stores. The old giants of food manufacturing are trying to stave off lower profits by changing CEOs, embracing alternatives like vegan foods, and buying up small successful specialty food producers and allowing them to maintain their separate brand identities. That last item makes a lot of sense. The more time I spend with people within our Specialty Food Association member community, people who are hands-on at their own businesses, the more I realize that the future of food is in specialty. That's why our Association is committed to delivering the products and services that members need for success. And we're asking you to engage with us and play an active part in the future of food. If you're at the Winter Show in San Francisco on Sunday, January 21, please come to our Member Meeting just prior to the Leadership Awards ceremony to learn more about how we're expanding our efforts to serve specialty food businesses. Ours is an engaged, consumer-tied industry dedicated to innovation, diversity, and sharing an honest passion for food. We're standing at the leading edge of real change and market- altering revolution. I can't wait to see what we achieve in 2018. Phil Kafarakis President, Specialty Food Association Follow me @PresidentSFA Message from the President WINTER 2018 25