Fancy Foods 2024 Recap with the Startup CPG Team

Welcome to another bonus episode of the Startup CPG podcast!

Grace Kennedy is joined by Patricia Menegoto and Kiki Huddleston from the Startup CPG team to dive into the exciting highlights of Fancy Foods 2024. They explore the inaugural Startup CPG Pavilion, showcasing standout brands and innovative products. 

From trends like plant-based seafood to the allure of Korean and Japanese cuisines, they uncover the latest in clean ingredients, natural sugars, and non-alcoholic beverages. They also emphasize the importance of community, collaboration, and effective networking at trade shows, offering invaluable advice for first-time exhibitors.

Don't miss this episode to elevate your CPG business—Tune in now!

Listen in as they share about:

• Startup CPG Pavilion
• Event Highlights
• Notable Brands and Products
• Trends and Observations in the CPG Industry
• Booth Designs at Trade Shows
• International Representation
• Standout Products and Brands
• Advice for Exhibitors

Episode Links:

Kiki on LinkedIn

Patricia on LinkedIn

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

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• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [e-mail]
  
  

Episode music by Super Fantastics

Creators & Guests

Host

Grace Kennedy

What is The Startup CPG Podcast?

A podcast from Startup CPG - highlighting stories from founders working towards a better food system and industry insights from experts to give you a better chance at success.

Kiki Huddleston
Fancy foods. This year was amazing. I feel like the energy was there. It felt a lot different from last year. I mean, granted, last year we didn't have a section, but just like, the show in general, it just felt different. It felt like everyone was excited to be there. Everyone was just, like, vibing with each other and having a good time. It also felt like all of the small brands were downstairs, so we kind of had, like, our own, like, little party going on, and then, like, upstairs felt more like. I don't know. I don't want to say, like, stuffy, but, like, a little bit. Like, it was definitely, like, more fun to be downstairs. And I did hear a lot of people say that, like, our section was, like, their favorite part of the show.

00:50
Grace Kennedy
The debut district.

00:52
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, the debut district. But I think it was just, like, our area definitely felt real in the sense of, like, what, like, entrepreneurship is like, you know what I mean? It's just kind of, like, the nitty gritty of it. And you don't necessarily have to have, like, a huge budget and a huge booth to, like, make an impression at these shows, you know?

01:14
Grace Kennedy
Hello, and welcome back to the Startup CPG podcast. This is Grace, and I am back not with another founder feature, but actually with a Fancy Foods 2024 recap. Daniel is traveling this week, so he passed the baton off to me, but I was lucky enough to be joined by Patty, our head of community, and Kiki, our social media manager, to talk all things fancy Foods. This was our first year having a dedicated startup CPG section at Fancy Foods, and it was so much fun, so busy and so much going on, but we had a ball. I'll let you listen to the episode to hear about all the exciting events that went down. And as always, enjoy and let me know what you think. Hello and welcome. Welcome back to the Startup CPG podcast. This is Grace.

02:05
Grace Kennedy
I'm the startup CPG editor, and today we have a very fun and special episode where we're going to be recapping what happened at Fancy Foods 2024. So I'm joined by Patty and Kiki. Patty is our head of community, and Kiki is our social media manager, and they both did so much work at the show to make it as amazing as it was. Welcome to the show, guys. How are you feeling a few days post fancy foods?

02:33
Patricia Menegoto
I'm feeling better today because, you know, it's like a few days after the show that we are recording this, but you can tell my voice that I'm not 100%, but the show, it was amazing. It's always good to see all the brands and everything. It's a lot on our body, but it's amazing.

02:51
Grace Kennedy
Yes, it really is. And Kiki, I know here a little bit under the weather, so just powering through to be here on this podcast.

03:01
Kiki Huddleston
Oh, thanks for having us. I feel like I'm not alone. I know a lot of people after these shows, if something's going around, we all just get it. But it was worth it. It was fun. I'm glad we did it and yeah, let's talk about it.

03:15
Grace Kennedy
Yeah. So this year was very exciting for us because we had the first dedicated startup, CPG Pavilion, at the fancy food show in the debut district area. And were so, so excited to feature 20 amazing up and comer CPG brands. So we partnered with SFA to offer tabletops and most of the brands in our section were first or second time exhibitors, which is really exciting to be able to offer that. And we also partnered with Settle to offer one free booth to a female founded brand. And the brand that won was better sour, which is one of my personal fav brands if you haven't tried them yet. We also hosted so many events and buyer meetings throughout the show, and pretty much every brand I spoke to said it was just an amazing time. But Patti, I'll start with you.

04:03
Grace Kennedy
This was our first year having a dedicated section. What were some of the highlights of the events? Buyer meetings, seeing the brands, what stood out for you?

04:11
Patricia Menegoto
Sorry, I had a brain fog right now.

04:15
Grace Kennedy
You're fine.

04:16
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah, it was the first time that we had the section and exhibiting at the same time. So it was a lot to learn also because, you know, like, we love supporting the brands that are first time exhibitors, as you said, to set up their booth, make sure that they know all the logistics. So it was a lot of learning curve for our team as well to support these brands. But it was great just to see how we have, like, a special, dedicated slack channel for the brands in our section and just see how they interact and help each other there. Helping each other during the day, making the connection, seeing or meeting for the first time ever the brands in person. We had some media friends coming by. We also have, like, the buyers coming.

05:04
Patricia Menegoto
And I think that from Expo west to the summer fancy foods, we improved a lot on the buyer meetings because Expo west was the first time that we did it. So we did like, you know, sign up and then just come to our booth and meet them. We didn't expect that as many people were going to show up, so were like, you guys know, it was crazy. So this time we actually, like, the buyers could select the brands they want to talk to, how long? So shout out to, like, whole Foods, Central Market village supermarkets, Bristol Farms, and airfare to host the buyer meetings with brands and also walk in our section. So they stop at every single booth and met the brands. It was, as I said, was like our team learned a lot, but at the same time was amazing.

05:55
Patricia Menegoto
And we are looking forward to continue a partnership with SFA.

05:59
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, definitely. And I heard from so many brands how incredible an opportunity it was to be able to have that FaceTime with buyers in our section. And I recently interviewed, I think it actually came out a few weeks ago, Maria of CN Chiles, who got into central market after having a meeting at our booth with them at Expo west. So I'm really excited to see how those buyer meetings unfold in the coming months and if there are any brands that are able to convert, you know, retail placements from those initial meetings. But, Kiki, what about you? What were some of your highlights of our first year of a dedicated section?

06:34
Kiki Huddleston
Oh, man, fancy foods. This year was amazing. I feel like the energy was there. It felt a lot different from last year. I mean, granted, last year we didn't have a section, but just like the show in general, it just felt different. It felt like everyone was excited to be there. Everyone was just, like, vibing with each other and having a good time. It also felt like all of the small brands were downstairs, so we kind of had, like, our own, like, little party going on, and then, like, upstairs felt more like, I don't know. I don't want to say, like, stuffy, but, like, a little bit like, it was definitely, like, more fun to be downstairs. And I did hear a lot of people say that, like, our section was, like, their favorite part of the show.

07:15
Grace Kennedy
The debut district.

07:17
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, the debut district. But I think it was just, like, our area definitely felt real in the sense of what entrepreneurship is, like, you know what I mean? It's just kind of, like, the nitty gritty of it. And you don't necessarily have to have a huge budget and a huge booth to make an impression at these shows. And also, I feel like at this show, it was a lot more intimate in the sense that you could actually have meaningful, real conversations with people. It wasn't, like, super crowded and loud like Expo was. And I think, like, the first day brands were kind of like, oh, like, it's not that busy. And we're like, well, you know, like, it's not Expo west.

08:01
Kiki Huddleston
And then the second day, which was busier, people were, like, really, like, catching their stride and was like, oh, like, this is awesome. I met this buyer, this person. I got to visit this brand. So, yeah, I think it was great and good reviews overall. And we got to eat a lot of really good food.

08:19
Grace Kennedy
We really did.

08:20
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, it was a good show.

08:21
Grace Kennedy
Yeah. We all joked on the startup CPG team that bear, Maple, and Huxley, which were two of the beverage brands exhibiting in our section single handedly, both hydrated and caffeinated our startup CPG team because we kept going over to their booths asking for more drinks. But one of my favorite moments in our section also was when Earth fair came by to do their pitches, and they had everybody in our section pitch them, but it wasn't like a regular pitch. They had to either pitch with a poem or a rap, and that was just amazing to see and super fun. And, like Kiki said, so much fun energy at this show. And I'm very excited to see some of the videos we took of some of these raps and poems for earth faring to see if any of them, you know, made a lasting impression.

09:09
Grace Kennedy
But besides our booth itself and our section itself at fancy Foods, we also hosted so many events, which Kiki and Patti both had huge hands in bringing together. We did happy hour. We did our big party at Shopify. They went to a Broadway show, which I wasn't there yet for that, and I was kind of bummed that I missed it. But, yeah. Patti, I'll start with you again. Can you walk us through some of the events we hosted and what we're hoping to do in the future with these events?

09:40
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah, for sure. As you said, we had the Broadway show with hummingbirds. They sponsored us, so we took about. They took about 15 people, most of them were brands, to see the Broadway show, and that was Moulin Rouge. Yes. And then we had, like, a little happy hour, kind of little food before, so we could all connect. On Sunday, we did the sandwich party at Havens Kitchen, and then Monday, we had a happy hour at smarter office. And then Tuesday, our biggest event at Shopify. So it's just amazing seeing, like, all the community got together, you know, people that live in LA or people that are attending the show. We also had, like, some random people just having meetings in New York, and they were like, oh, you know, the timing was great, so that's why I'm here.

10:33
Patricia Menegoto
And also, I want to highlight that. I love that when brands sample at our events, that are really connection with some buyers sometimes just like, Sabon AF, they are a non alcoholic beverage with mushrooms inside, and they drop some bottles at the heaven's kitchen. Haven. Sorry, I always say heaven at a haven kitchen on Sunday. And then the buyer from whole foods, he tried it, and he was like, wait, this is so good. And he started to tell to his friends, and then that's actually how they end up, like, stopping at the sabon af booth and talk to them a little more to discover the brand.

11:16
Patricia Menegoto
But I love how, you know, in a very informal way, like, buyers are still looking for brands, and that's what I always tell the brands, like, when they are simply, like, you never know who you're gonna meet. So always be prepared. Yeah, those were the events that we did. So it was like, every day we had something that. It was fun.

11:38
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, definitely. Kiki, any highlights from the events for you?

11:43
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, I mean, the Broadway show, obviously was super fun and cool. I've never been to a Broadway show before. Again, it was a nice, like, kind of intimate meetup. It was a small group, so I feel like connections were definitely made. It was a lot of fun. I think Monday night snacky hour at Havens Kitchen was probably my favorite event. It was also on the smaller side. And we definitely have learned over time that, like, having food at the events after the show is, like, everything. Cause, like, you know, like, whenever you're exhibiting, you don't get time to, like, really step away, and you might just get, like, snacks, like, here and there, but, like, no one's, like, actually eating a real meal.

12:20
Kiki Huddleston
So it was nice to just, like, actually get to, like, have a real meal and sit down and just, like, kind of decompress from the show and, like, talk about things. And it was also. It was a build your own sandwich bar. So we had, like, these, like, massive, like, six foot long hoagies, and then we used havens kitchen's new aioli sauces on them so you could, like, pick what flavor aioli you wanted to put on there, which was fun. Lots of buyers showed up. It was just a very, like, it was de stressing. It was, like, very chilled back. Like, laid back and chill. So I think that's why that was my favorite night. Not to say that the others weren't, like, super fun. The shopify party is always a good time. We had so many people there.

13:04
Kiki Huddleston
Like, I think, like, I don't know, probably around, like, 200, but, yeah, good times. See a lot of old friends and make a lot of new friends. It was a good time.

13:13
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, absolutely. And it's. I agree, patty. I love when brands sample our events, also, selfishly, because then I get to try them, and so many delicious brands are always sampling at our events, and really, you know, feeding the masses, if you will, with their samples. We were joking about Lottie's meats. Who makes pork sausages? They were sampling at one of our events and giving out, you know, small, little samples, and patty and I were like, so can we just get a whole sausage? We would enjoy a whole one, not just a sample. But that is not.

13:45
Patricia Menegoto
How many times can I stop at your booth without being chewier?

13:50
Grace Kennedy
Literally.

13:51
Patricia Menegoto
Also, can I just give a shout out to the startup CPG team that on Monday, they made this, like, birthday, the cutest birthday surprise ever. I was, like, so tired and, like, laid back, trying to hide myself. And when Danielle called me to talk about the CPG, you guys, like, came with birthday cake and everything, and it's all gluten free because, you know, I'm gluten free, so I think that was so special. So I want to give a shout out to all of you.

14:18
Kiki Huddleston
Aww, you're so sweet. I'm glad that were able to pull it off. I think it went well. And, yeah, happy birthday again.

14:24
Grace Kennedy
Yes, happy belated birthday, Patty. And, yeah, it was really fun. And the gluten free treats Kiki got from somewhere in New York City, and they were really delicious. You would never have guessed that they were gluten free. So thinking about, you know, all the brands at Expo west now, not just the ones in our section, though, of course, we're partial to the ones in our section. And, Patti, I know you didn't really get to leave our section all that much, but were there any standout brands or booths for you guys at fancy Foods, any overall favorites that you're really excited about to see where they go next? Maybe. Kiki, I'll start with you.

14:58
Kiki Huddleston
I mean, the first brand that comes to mind is payoh, of course. I think that they were, like, the third unofficial sponsor of startup CPG's team to keep us alive. Their pizzas are just so good. I mean, I've had their pizza before. They submitted to the shell fees. I was very thankful that I got to try their miso eggplant flavor. Cause the one that they sent me, I, like, put it in the oven and burned it, and I was, like, super bummed, but, yeah, so I got to try it there. And then I probably ate the equivalent of, like, an entire pizza of that flavor. It's so delicious.

15:28
Grace Kennedy
The miso eggplant is so good.

15:30
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah. And they had a line, like, down the hall, like, pretty much the whole show. They were killing it, and I heard multiple buyers talking about how much they like payoh and what they're up to. Jeju Pierogi was also another favorite of mine. I know they just released a new flavor, but we tried their sweet potato ones, which were really good. And, of course, just the classic, like, potato and Cheddar. Those were really good, too. Yeah, I think those are, like, the two standouts from brands that were not inside of our section.

16:01
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, absolutely. I am also a big fan of both of those brands and love what they're doing. And I think they're also kind of speaking to some of the trends in the industry, which is this sort of brands with a story, brands with a personal connection to what they're selling, brands where the founders are really, you know, front and center and not, you know, hiding behind any larger corporation or anything like that. I think people are really eager to support brands with a personal connection to what they're making in both of those brands are doing that. And Paella also, you know, is on a mission to employ deaf people as a company that's owned by, you know, a deaf person and run with the help of her children who are, you know, of hearing. I'm really excited to see where they go.

16:46
Grace Kennedy
But what about you, Patti? Any standout brands for you at the show?

16:50
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah, so, as you said, I didn't leave the section and walked at all, but we had tons of brands coming to have the meetings with the buyers, and there was this brand, which, again, I cannot have because I'm gluten free. But two buyers went crazy by it, and it's a. I think the name is a shellfish food. And they do a mushroom crab cake, not crab, of course, because, like, it's, like, plant based everything, but it's made with mushroom, but it's a crab cake style. And they just lounged. And I have to say, the two buyers, they went crazy by it. Even, like, the brand, they were leaving the meeting, and there was one left, and the buyer was like, oh, wait, I grabbed the last piece before they left.

17:36
Grace Kennedy
Oh, my God. You know, that says something when the buyer comes back from work. Cause they're probably already full from sampling things.

17:43
Patricia Menegoto
Exactly. So that one, for me was like, oh, that sounds really interesting. I think they are, like, very olion, so they need to figure something out. But that can be a bigger one in the future. Another one that have a booth, and I just want to. We love their cheese is rind. It's a vegan cheese. And I want to give a shout out because last year, were startup CPC team was, like, backpacking at summer fancy food, and they borrowed their booth. Rind and shinka Foods borrowed their booth for us to host a meetup last year during the show. So I want to give a shout out to them because we love the. Your chips. So good.

18:23
Grace Kennedy
So good. It's crazy how much it tastes like real cheese, even though it's plant based. I'm like, what sorcery is this? And I also think, speaking of the plant based crab cake brand, I also think that's a big trend that I saw at Expo west and at fancy Foods, which is plant based seafood. I feel like for a long time, it was all plant based meat, burgers, bacon, things like that. And now I feel like we're seeing all sorts of, like, we got plant based caviar for the shelfies and plant based, like, tin fish. So I definitely see a lot more plant based, you know, seafood as a trend. But were there any.

19:01
Grace Kennedy
And again, Patti, I know you did not leave our section, but were there any overarching trends in the show that you guys noticed a lot of, or even just, like, themes that were coming up a lot in the CPG space at this trade show? And, Kiki, I'll start with you, since I know you and I got to walk the show a little bit more than Patti did.

19:21
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, I would say the two biggest trends I noticed, and I'm happy to see this happening, because I feel like, for such a long time, I'm not saying this isn't happening anymore, because it definitely is. But I feel like for a long time, there was just so much focus on everything has to be super healthy, and it needs to have adaptogens, and it needs to have this benefit and this health benefit. And, like, I feel, like, kind of just got a little messy, and now I'm seeing people kind of, like, pulling back and just, like, getting back to the basics and just making, like, good food with good ingredients that just, you know, legitimately taste good. And then this kind of, like, ties into what were talking about earlier with paioa and, like, jeju pierogi is.

20:07
Kiki Huddleston
I feel like they're making, like, ethnic food, which I think is another big trend, is, like, food that, like, has a story and is, like, connected back to, like, your heritage and that sort of thing. And, like, they're making these foods, and they're not trying to, like, you know, take a pierogi and make it, like, ultra healthy or something like that. Like, it's. It's a good pierogi with good ingredients and you can indulge and enjoy it. And I think that is a trend that I've been seeing a lot. And it's something that I appreciate, not that I'm against, like, you know, healthifying, like, everything and like, oh, this is a gluten free, sugar free, all of the free brownies. Like, you know, there's definitely a place for that.

20:47
Kiki Huddleston
But, yeah, I am happy to see people just staying true to who they are and what they do and just making something that tastes good.

20:54
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, absolutely. And ultimately, at the end of the day, if something doesn't taste good, nobody's gonna buy it, no matter how healthy it is. Like, I don't want to eat something that tastes bad. I want to eat good food, and I also want to eat food that's good for me. So I appreciate the brands that, yeah, are making things with clean ingredients and that also are really delicious. So, Patti, what about you? Even just the trends you saw in our section, I would say that one.

21:17
Patricia Menegoto
Trend that I saw is like, lululos. I think we talk about this for Expo west is growing, which I'm not a fan, as we mentioned before, it kind of like, you know, masses our stomach and everything. But I've seen more brands using because I think it's like low in sugar. But also at the same time, I think brands going back to the cane sugar or honey or dates, more natural sugar, which I appreciate so much more. And I understand that some people want to stay, like, low in sugar and calories. Some people need that because they are diabetics or something. But I would say that if you're doing for healthy purpose, I would stick maybe with, you know, real sugar. But anyway, this is a trend that I'm seeing. And then another trend that I sing is the no alcoholic beverage.

22:05
Patricia Menegoto
I know we've been talking this, I don't know, maybe last year or even the year before, but just talking about when we host an event for startup CPG, either during the shows or just the meetups that we host around the country. Lately, I think that I've been buying like 70 or 80% no alcoholic, and then the rest alcoholic beverage, even, like, sometimes I buy a bottle of wine or two and some, and, like, people don't even open that and. But the other non alcoholic beverages just go so fast. So I'm seeing, like, you know, the trend is still happening and I think people are just more conscious about drinking. Maybe during the week or during trade shows.

22:46
Patricia Menegoto
Of course, sometimes you want and that's fine and we have it, but sometimes I just felt like, oh, are we having over like too many non alcoholic brands? But people seem to be very excited about. And then just a booth that I saw across our section, I think they were Mister Joy was the brand, but they had this booth instead of just a backdrop that was like a normal, you know, people bring the backdrop and I mean, that's fine, you can bring that, but they used the case of their brand, the little, like packets, the boxes to create this whole backdrop. And I just think it's like, I love when brands use their material to build something.

23:30
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, that's so cute. And definitely having an interesting or unique booth can really make you stand out at these shows. Speaking to the sugar thing, I was remembering that, Huxley, I think they use a very small amount, but they use natural cane sugar, right. Which I love. And it's an energy drink, but it doesn't taste too sweet and it doesn't have that kind of. I find sometimes the alternative sugars almost have this bad aftertaste or something where it's too sweet. So I am also on board with this just small amount of natural cane sugar. And like you said, of course that's not for everyone and not everyone can handle that in their diet, and that's totally fine. There's a time and place for everything. But, Kiki, were there any booths themselves? Just like booth designs that you really loved?

24:19
Kiki Huddleston
I really liked the korean ice cream shop that was set up in our hall. That was really cool. It like literally looked like a little like corner ice cream store and you could just like go in and open a freezer and like grab out a treat.

24:33
Grace Kennedy
Yes.

24:34
Kiki Huddleston
I mean, at this show, I feel like there weren't as many, like, big crazy booths as we see at expo. Fancy Foods is just like a smaller show in general.

24:42
Grace Kennedy
Yeah.

24:43
Kiki Huddleston
Something I do really love about fancy foods, aside from the fact that it's smaller. I do love that. But I feel like this show really does a good job of like, featuring products from like, different parts of the world, which I know, like at expo they have it too, but it's more like kind of like integrated in the show. Like you'll just be walking and it's like, oh, like there's a Brazil section and then like, oh, there's like, you know, a mexican section or whatever. But at this show, like, they really shine a light on different countries and the foods that they bring to the table. I know. Grace and I, there was one day that we thoroughly enjoyed the cheese section that was upstairs.

25:19
Grace Kennedy
Yes.

25:20
Kiki Huddleston
That was nice.

25:21
Grace Kennedy
Yeah. Kiki started going into cheese withdrawal after that.

25:28
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah, it was cool. It was fun. And the people up there, I mean, they're really passionate and, like, super willing just to talk to you about, like, cheese and their process. And I would say another trend too, that I noticed is, like, korean and japanese food is becoming more and more popular, which is interesting to me because I've also seen, on the media side of things, anime and K dramas are becoming more and more popular, and now it's. The food is also coming up in trends as well. I saw a lot of kimbap, a lot of kimchi. I saw products that had anime characters on their branding and stuff. So that's always cool to see.

26:12
Grace Kennedy
Yeah. And we had the korean bone broth brand in our section, heart and soul. Is that the name of that brand? Yeah, I think it is.

26:20
Patricia Menegoto
And then the Japanese, there was, like, a indoor vertical farming strawberry.

26:25
Grace Kennedy
Oishi. Yeah, they were very popular.

26:29
Kiki Huddleston
They were. We not talked about them yet. They were, like, one of the stars of our section. They had a line the whole time.

26:35
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah, I told them, I was like, you guys ruined my strawberry tasting forever. Oh, my God. That's so bad. It's just, like, so many.

26:44
Grace Kennedy
You can't go back to a Driscoll's strawberry after trying the Oishi strawberry. They're really good.

26:51
Patricia Menegoto
I think I need to wait a month to buy another, like, a normal strawberry so I can maybe forget about literally.

26:59
Kiki Huddleston
And then even, like, the whole foods buyer was talking to us after the show, and he's vegetarian and didn't even get to try the heart and soul bone broth. But that was, like, a standout brand for him just because of what they're doing and just that, like, how him and the founder were vibing. But I think that their product is, like, really high quality patty. I think you said that you. Did you try one of their matcha lattes?

27:24
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah. They used the beef bone broth to do a matcha latte. I was, like, skeptical. I told them, I was like, I'm really afraid because, like, am I gonna taste beef or what are we doing here? But it's actually really good. It just created, like, a different texture. I don't know how to explain the texture. I don't know if it was, like, more creamy or more jelly. I don't know. It was something different, but it was actually really good. I drank the whole cup. They gave me, like, a big cup, so.

27:50
Grace Kennedy
Oh, wow.

27:51
Kiki Huddleston
Yeah.

27:51
Patricia Menegoto
Shout out to, like, Laura from central market. She was like, oh, my God, I'm doing all the time the matcha. And I'm like, girl, this sounds so weird.

28:00
Grace Kennedy
Yeah. I feel a little scared to try that, but I feel like I should try it now that you really like it. And just goes to show, you never know if you're gonna like something or not. You gotta try it.

28:08
Patricia Menegoto
It doesn't taste like beef, but in my mind, I was like, I can taste it, but I know you can. Just, like, you know what you're drinking.

28:16
Grace Kennedy
Totally. You're, like, scared in your mind. Yeah. So we won't chitchat for too much longer, since, you know, we could probably gab for a couple hours. And sometimes we do on different meetings. But one of my last questions for you guys was looking toward next year's fancy foods and next year fancy Foods winter, and then also just all the many trade shows, but specifically thinking about exhibiting at fancy foods. First, Patti, can you let people know how they can apply to be in our section for fancy foods this winter? And then second, I'd love to hear if you guys have any advice to a first or second time brand wanting to either exhibit in our section or just exhibit at a fancy food show. So, Patti, I'll start with you. Just let people know about how to apply.

29:03
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah. So we are going to continue to partner with SFA, and we are going to have a section at the. Sorry, my accent. Debut district.

29:15
Grace Kennedy
The debut district.

29:15
Patricia Menegoto
Did I say that right?

29:16
Grace Kennedy
Mm.

29:17
Patricia Menegoto
Okay. Thank you. Yeah. So we're gonna have a section. I know that we are recording this podcast on June 28, like, right after Fancy, June 28, but I believe the applications will be open by the first or second week of July. So take a look at the announcements channel in our slack for the summer fancy food. We got so many applications, and we only have 20 booths. So make sure that you apply ASAP, because these spots fill out very fast. And we are also going to have a section at summer fancy food next year as well. But applications for that will come later. But keep an eye out for the Vegas one if you're gonna be at the Winter fancy food.

30:00
Patricia Menegoto
And an advice for first and second time exhibitors, I would say to definitely apply for our section because we give the whole support. We do Zoom calls with everyone. We have a dedicated channel. It's like a private one where we share insights and, you know, sometimes one of the exhibitors already exhibited before, so can give a little tip. Other thing that I would say is we have some, like, podcast, I think Washington, the Expo West. I don't remember the name right now, but if we can add that in the show notes. Yeah, the show notes, that would be great. And then just like, reach out to a lot of, like, buyers that you want to talk to and go to the networking events and always use your company shirt because, you know, like, you were giving brand awareness to your brand the whole time.

30:52
Patricia Menegoto
You never know who you're going to meet and always have samples in your backpack.

30:57
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, absolutely. And if you do come to one of our events, and this goes for any community event, too, if Daniel's there, he's probably going to have founders come up and do a quick ten second pitch and founder ask. So come prepared with a quick pitch and a specific founder ask so you're not caught off guard because you never know who might be able to connect you with the buyer, distributor, who knows what. So come prepared. And I think just, yeah, be ready to pitch at all times.

31:27
Grace Kennedy
And one thing I'll say is that I was talking to a brand who just came to fancy foods this year as a backpack brand because she's still a really young brand, and she was like, I just wanted to come and feel it out and see what it's like before I exhibited and before I decided to spend the money on a booth. And I think that is really great advice. And a really good idea is to do one show as a backpack brand so you can get a sense of what works, what doesn't work, what it's like, what to spend money on, what not to spend money on. So I think just make sure you know what your priorities are before going to any trade show and sort of get a feel of it before you invest thousands and thousands of dollars.

32:07
Patricia Menegoto
Yeah. On that note, Grace, we also have a volunteer list that we do for every show. So if you're not ready to have a booth, you can sign up for the volunteer list. And for the brands who has a booth, sometimes they need help. You know, you work a few hours in one day or multiple days, it depends what the brand needs, and then you can, you know, help the brand have the experience to work at a booth, at someone else booth to learn with them, and then walk the show later. So that's another thing that we offer. So always, yeah, if you want to just walk this, like, you know, work and walk because you're not ready, keep an eye for the volunteer list.

32:46
Grace Kennedy
Yeah, that's a great plug and definitely have met a lot of people through our volunteers that come to the show to help out other brands and things like that. So that's our fancy Foods recap. We did it. Hopefully by the time this comes out, you'll be able to apply to fancy Foods Winter, but if not, it'll be out very soon. So definitely keep your eyes peeled on slack if you're interested in that, and feel free to reach out to any of us if you have any questions or email communityartupcpg.com for any questions you might have about applying to fancy Foods Winter or just about what we're doing here at startup CPG. But this was so much fun and I hope everybody gets some good rest.

33:27
Grace Kennedy
Kiki, recover from your sickness, and anybody who's listening who's recovering from fancy foods, I hope you, by the time this comes out, are fully healed and ready to dive back in. But thank you guys for joining me. Patty and Kiki, thanks for having us.

33:42
Patricia Menegoto
Bye bye.

33:46
Grace Kennedy
All right, everyone, thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, it would help us out so much if you left a five star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I am Grace Kennedy, the editor for startup CPG, so feel free to add me on there LinkedIn or reach out to me on Slack. I'm always on the hunt for new and exciting brands to feature, and if you're a potential sponsor that would like to appear on the podcast, please email partnershipstartupcpg.com. And finally, as a reminder for anyone listening, if you haven't already, we would love for you to join our community on Slack and you can sign up via our website, startupcpg.com.