Community, People, Purpose, and Planet

A recap of Farm Credit Canada’s Food and Beverage Summit 2024

By Maria Corina Vasquez

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) held its annual Food and Beverage Summit last October 30^th at the Alloway Hall of the Manitoba Museum. The summit was packed with valuable insights and information from the food and beverage sector’s top innovators and thought leaders.

The event was sold out with hundreds of registered attendees, over 35 food and beverage booth vendors, and an impressive line-up of keynote speakers.

Carly Minish-Wytinck, president and founder of Smak Dab, hosted the event with opening messages from the Honourable Ron Kostyshyn (video), minister of agriculture, Stacey Gordon, area vice-president, a&a commercial and small business financing, FCC, and James Hayward, regional director, midwestern regional office, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Supporting and helping entrepreneurs succeed

The first panel of speakers were led by Peter Chapman of SKUFood, Eric Waterman of IC Canada, and Megan Menzel of FCC. The trio covered topics like the advisory services and programs available to food and beverage entrepreneurs, helping entrepreneurs transition from being a doer to becoming a decision maker, and navigating the intricacies of ESG policies.

J.P. Gervais, executive vice-president, strategy and impact of FCC, talked about the industry’s economic trends and the outlook for the coming year. Some of Gervais’ keynote highlights the impact of international relations on Canada’s profitability, the financial markets’ forward-looking stance in long-term borrowing, his advice of looking beyond the numbers and focusing on the story behind the statistics, how consumer wallets are stretched, how businesses today are facing changing consumers behaviours, decline in commodities, and Canada’s productivity challenge.

Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Nourish Food Marketing shared her insights on the topic of innovation. She notes that innovation is a mindset and the traditional paths to it are changing, innovation doesn’t necessarily have to be earth shattering but should solve user problems, consumers nowadays – especially in social media – are coming up with innovative ways to use certain products, and how research can’t predict the future but instead a tool entrepreneurs can use for illumination. McArthur ended her keynote speech with a parting quote for entrepreneurs, “you don’t need to reinvent wheel, you just need to attach to a new wagon.”

Hubba Khatoon, regional innovation director (prairies) of Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) culminated the speaker line-up in the morning session of the summit. Khatoon’s keynote speech discussed how CFIN helps entrepreneurs grow and innovate in the ever-evolving landscape of food technology. The non-profit organization’s wide network strength is a key asset in the food business community. Through YODL – CFIN’s online platform designed to connect businesses with collaborators, partners, and innovation resources – the organization builds an ecosystem of stakeholders shaping the future of food.

Finding purpose through passion

The afternoon session of the event showcased entrepreneur speakers who have found their purpose through their passions. Carmen Busse, founder of Carzan Local Meats shared in her speech how emotional connection connects businesses to their consumers. She noted that the more entrepreneurs create value – like giving back – the more their business will grow. She also shared that purpose-driven consumerism is the wave of the future.

For Shawn Black, president and founder of Sheepdog Brew Co., his focus is all about people as his business started growing when they shifted their focus to their people. Black attributed the Sheepdog name to his past policing career, from when the product he offered isn’t safety but real human connection. Black also shared that as an entrepreneur, he made a lot of decisions based on what feels right.

Sheena Russell, CEO of Made with Local shared that entrepreneurship taught her to roll with the punches and that every business has a deep story to tell. Over the 12-year course of her business, she has always been focused on building community – from the different stories of farmers and producers she works with to creating authentic consumer engagement via social media. She also shared how entrepreneurs can use storytelling as a factor in building authentic voice for their brands.

For his keynote speech, LOOP Mission co-founder David Cote shared how his years of travel searching for the best food led him to start a business about raw vegan food and eventually, sustainability. Cote’s speech tackled how most companies see sustainability as an expense. He also discussed the concept of circular economy – where you take waste and still give it the value it deserves, and Loop Mission’s goal of fighting food waste.

The second round of panel discussion rounded up Black, Russell, and Cote with Chapman. The panel discussed about their entrepreneurship experiences and answered some questions from the audience. The panel shared how they made their passions fit in the industry, handling success, and lessons learned in entrepreneurship.

Christopher Parker, senior vice-president, operations & IT of Tree of Life Canada sat down with Chapman to discuss the topic of distribution. Some of the topics covered were finding the right distributor, brand lifecycle management, challenges for brands, international growth for regional brands, and private labels.

To conclude the jampacked summit, Michael Mikulak, executive director of Food and Beverage Manitoba, delivered a closing message that summarized the four key points observed from the event – community, people, purpose, and planet.

Truly, FCC’s Food and Beverage Summit 2024 showcased the industry’s vibrancy.