#171 Viva Fancy Food Show! Recap with Our Hosts, Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

For the third straight year, our hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall attended the Winter Fancy Food Show in that magic town, Las Vegas. For a brief explanation of the show and the organization behind it, the show is where foodpreneurs connect with leading buyers, distributors, and retailers, network with peers and enjoy world-class educational programs. It’s a cost-effective and powerful way to grow business because it is an environment rich with the movers and shakers in the food industry. And everyone is there to spend every minute discovering the latest in culinary delights. So how was the show this year? It was a big group that attended along with our hosts, 21 companies to be exact. Take a look at the roster at the end of these notes. And what were the show favorites for our hosts? For Sarah Masoni, the number one attraction was the generosity of the exhibitors. In particular, the Japanese exhibitors were incredibly kind and generous. One exhibitor who produces a rice cracker snack pulled out a sack and filled it with bags of all the different flavors they offered for her. Sarah Marshall uses the connections at the show not so much as a place to increase distribution directly, but to interact with as many people as possible, get known and teach others how to use her hot sauces in cooking. She feels this spreads the word about her product in a roundabout way that ultimately leads to more magazine articles, blogs, IG posts and also more loyal customers. Another favorite was Mama O’s Premium Kimchi of Brooklyn. They sell kimchi and kimchi starter kits to make your own. They also have a paste that can be used for other spicy condiments and added to other main dishes for hot spice. But the big attraction was the interaction with their crowd. Sarah Marshall was given a starter kit to make her own kimchi, given a Mama O’s bag to pack it around with and then was photographed with the crew for social media posting. That pretty much made Sarah a lifelong fan and a great way of demonstrating how to create an experience, not just another sample taste. One of the big crazes of the show was frozen grapes, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with assorted crunchies. They seemed to take off like wildfire. Another example of imagination is Athena, a very traditional Greek food company. They took their stuffed grape leave dish and put in Jalapenos for a very different type of fusion. Evidently, it was well received and a great example of never standing still in the food industry. Next show is June 23-25 in New York, so start planning your trip! The Fancy Food Summer Show link: https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/summer/ Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall. A partial list of the companies attending the show. All are from Oregon except Loren Lee from Waco, Texas: Linda Jodoin, Miss Hannah's Popcorn, [e-mail], Nikki Guerrero, Hot Mama Salsa, [e-mail], Lindsay Gott, Gateaux, [e-mail], Lee Hedgmon, the Barreled Bee, [e-mail], Kenny Baker, Sh'Mallow, [e-mail], Willis Anderson, My Daddy's Sauces, [e-mail], Loren Lee, Mirth, [e-mail], Tina & Patrick Welch, The Pink Wagon, [e-mail], Ginger McCabe, Chili Royale, [e-mail].

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch