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GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SFF WRAP-UP 1 6 BY LUCAS WITMAN Taking place June 29-July 1, the 2014 Sum- mer Fancy Food Show wrapped up as the largest event in the history of the show, which stretches back all the way to 1955. Over 2,700 ex- hibitors filled three halls at New York City's Jacob K. Jav- its Convention Center, in- cluding specialty food producers, distributors and importers from around the world. In addition to 1,500 American companies in at- tendance, exhibitors hailed from as far away as Belgium, Cyprus, Ecuador, Jordan, Thailand and Tunisia. At least 28,000 buyers, retailers, journalists and assorted busi- ness leaders from every seg- ment of the specialty food industry were in attendance to check out the new prod- ucts and trends set to domi- nate the global specialty food scene in the second half of 2014. "The specialty food industry is thriving as consumers look for top-quality food made by people who bring craft, care and Sea Salt Superstore, the real benefit to his company of attending the annual Summer Fancy Food Show is not necessarily finding buyers for his products, but rather confer- ring with fellow business leaders within the specialty food industry. It is the private di- alogue he is able to have with his peers that is the most valuable piece he is able to take away from the show. "This year's show has been great," said Mackie. "It's not really an order-writing show, but a relationship-building show. We've made a lot of great contacts." Warrick Dowsett, owner of Wozz! Kitchen Creations, echoes Mackie's empha- sis on Summer Fancy Food as a terrific op- portunity to conference with fellow specialty food industry leaders. "We're get- ting a lot of questions answered from peo- ple who have been in the business a lot longer than us," said Dowsett. "It's great to have the opportunity to bounce ideas off others." Next year's Summer Fancy Food Show is already scheduled to take place June 28-30 at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. For more information on the 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show, visit www.spe- cialtyfood.com/fancy-food-show/summer- fancy-food-show. GN joy to the products they create," said Ann Daw, President of the Specialty Food Asso- ciation, in a press release following the show. "Our show provides a unique forum for buyers seeking foods that appeal to today's more adventuresome, curious and sophisticated shoppers." With representatives in attendance from many of the country's leading retailers, in- cluding Whole Foods, Kroger, Dean & DeLuca, Gourmet Garage, Mollie Stone's Markets and more, show attendees were impressed with the attention they received from prospective buyers. "A lot of the 'big boys' have been by," said Tracy Wilkinson-Claros, founder of Sticky Toffee Pudding Co. For a smaller gour- met operation like hers, Wilkinson- Claros explained that finding the right distributor can make all the difference in getting her company's products into more consumers' hands. "With smaller companies, you need to do a lot of distribution," said Wilkinson-Claros. "So when bigger companies come, and they have a broad distribution, it makes it a lot easier to go direct." According to Scott Mackie, President of Specialty Food Industry Converges in New York for 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show

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