NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialty food and beverage industry professionals from around the world gathered at the Specialty Food Association's (SFA) 49th Winter Fancy Food Show. Sponsored by Italy, the Show ran January 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Nearly 1,100 exhibitors from around the world across almost 50 specialty food and beverage categories exhibited at the Show, which welcomed 12,000 industry participants. In addition to makers and buyers, the show was attended by industry affiliates, press, influencers, investors, and trendspotters.  

"As we close the chapter on the final Winter Fancy Food Show, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our incredibly creative specialty food makers who showcased an inspiring mix of trend-setting innovations and beloved legacy products. I also want to thank the enthusiastic attendees whose energy and engagement made this Show a resounding success," said Bill Lynch, SFA President. "Looking ahead, we are excited to usher in a new era with Winter FancyFaire* in San Diego, beginning in 2026. Building on the strong foundation of the Winter Fancy Food Show, Winter FancyFaire* will carry forward its legacy—bringing together a dynamic community of entrepreneurs, buyers, and thought leaders to kick off the industry's annual cycle with vibrant connections, insightful education, and groundbreaking products for many years to come."

Exhibitors and Attendees Love the Winter Fancy Food Show

"The show was a fantastic way to connect with new brands, network with other buyers and spot the emerging trends of 2025. The diversity of brands and producers on show and the packed schedule of talks and panels made it easy not to waste a second of time, and have provided me with plenty of new connections and ideas to take into this year." -- Syrie Gwyn Palmer, Buyer – Grocery & Highgrove, Fortnum & Mason

"My booth had so much traffic. It's been such a great busy 3 days, and I've been loving every minute of it... I'm getting feedback from retailers about, if we are to move to the next steps, this is how we want your box to look like, and the packaging, so I can immediately act upon what would it take for me to work with the retailers that I'm at today." -- Michael Rosenzweig, CEO, Founder, Pac Pac Snacks

"Both Fancy Food Shows consistently provide excellent traffic to our booth every year. Many of our current customers were visitors and exhibitors at the shows. We are excited about the move to San Diego next year and look forward to meeting more potential customers." -- Sandy Yoss, Vice President of Sales, ZingaLabels (div. of START International)

Winter Fancy Food Show Highlights

First Night Celebration and Winter FancyFaire.* SFA's new first-of-year trade show, Winter FancyFaire*, was announced at the festive First Night Celebration party. WFF* will take place in San Diego in 2026, and in San Francisco in 2027, where attendees will get a first look at the products, trends, and suppliers shaping the food industry.

Keynotes and Sessions with two-time James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author, and TV personality Scott Conant and journalist Patranya Bhoolsuwan, and American recipe developer, New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and founder Molly Baz with journalist Matt Rodbard on the Main Stage, had attendees abuzz. Nearby, at the Ask the Experts and Sparks Showcase, intimate panels and product pitches were featured.

Pavilions:

• Bakery; Beverage, Confectionary, Snacks & Sweets; Deli; Plant Based
• States: Idaho, Minnesota, New York, WUSATA.
• International: Pavilions from Canada, China, France, Greece, Italy (Partner Country), Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, and Thailand.

Exhibitors from Around the World: In addition to American companies and State and International pavilions, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Cypress, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, India, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Province of China, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam were represented by independent companies.

Debut District, a featured area where attendees discovered the newest of the new at the Show: first-time exhibitors, new products, startups, and incubators.

First Taste Experience, the Winter Show's very own food hall on the Show Floor featured only the newest products in the market.

Spark Showcase, a dynamic area offering daily programming that sparked new ideas, connections, and discoveries. Co-hosts included Spark Showcase, USDA's Northwest & Rocky Mountain RFBC, and Naturally New York.

Ask the Experts, an interactive space dedicated to 1:1 and small-group sessions where any Show participant received personalized guidance from industry pros.

Spotlight Showcases, products on display in newly expanded categories, including New Products (< 6 months old), Bakery & Snacks, Beverage, Chocolate & Confectionery, Deli, Diversity-Owned, Plant-Based, and Grocery/Frozen.

Fancy Face-Off Pitch Competition: Entrepreneurs representing four brands pitched their products to a panel of industry experts and audience members during this fast-paced competition. pi00a was crowned the Grand Prize winner by judges Al Mancini, Neon Feast; Casey Gaston, Whole Foods Market; Brandon Ng, Houlihan Lokey, and James Ren, Thrive Market, while MILKish was Fan Favorite.

Maker Prep Graduation, a celebration of the first class of manufacturers to complete the reimagined six-month Maker Prep Course, which began at the 2024 Summer Show. SFA also welcomed and kicked off the next Maker Prep Cohort for the class that will graduate at the 2025 Summer Show.

Tastemaker Conference Co-location, collaboration between the Specialty Food Association and Tastemaker Conference, an annual gathering of food bloggers and content creators.

The Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel: Nine professionals from diverse areas of the culinary world scouted the show floor for the latest innovations. The panel consisted of Patranya Bhoolsuwan, Emmy Award-Winning Journalist & Founder and CEO, Patranya Media LLC; Mikel Cirkus, Sr. Director, Global Foresight & Design, dsm-firmenich; Jenn de la Vega, chef, stylist, cookbook author, trends expert, Randwiches; Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D., CHE, CRC, professor and director, Drexel Food Lab, Drexel University; Jeannie Houchins, Global Communications Executive; Sarah Lohman, food historian and author; Matt Rodbard, Editor in Chief, TASTE; Cathy Strange, Ambassador of Food Culture, Whole Foods; Summer Thompson, Senior Buyer, Market Hall Foods.

Specialty Food Association Junior Trendspotter Panel: UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality under the guidance of Joseph Lema, Ph.D. Professor/Ph.D. Coordinator, Seyhmus Baloglu, Ph.D. Professor/Associate Dean of Research.

Giving Back: At the end of the show, exhibitors continued their long tradition of giving back by donating tens of thousands of pounds of unopened meat, cheese, produce, confections, and snacks to Three Square. Over 15,000 pounds of food and beverages were donated.

The next Fancy Food Show is the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show, June 29-July 1 in New York, and the 2026 Winter FancyFaire*, January 11-13 in San Diego.

About the Specialty Food Association 

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) was founded in 1952 and is the not-for-profit trade association of the $207-billion specialty food industry. Representing more than 4,000 businesses worldwide, SFA champions industry participation and success for a diverse community of makers, buyers, importers, distributors, and service providers by developing resources, information, education, and events that celebrate innovation and inclusivity. SFA owns and operates the Summer Fancy Food Show, Winter FancyFaire*, and the sofi™ Awards, which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. SFA also produces the e-newsletter Specialty Food SmartBrief, the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions and Show reports, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report, and Today's Specialty Food Consumer research. Find out more at Specialtyfood.com, and connect with SFA on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.

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SOURCE Specialty Food Association