Grocery & Specialty Food West Takes a Bite Out of Vancouver

April 6, 2016, Vancouver, BC – Over two full days, Canada’s top retailers and producers converged in Vancouver for the only grocery exhibition in Western Canada. Grocery & Specialty Food West (GSFW) brought together over 3,000 key stakeholders from across Canada to discuss innovation, best practices, and industry insights for the thriving $100-billion annual industry, while showcasing the latest consumer products and grocery trends for 2016.

This year’s Grocery & Specialty Food West featured a fantastic line-up of informative workshops and speaker sessions, including: Harold Lloyd, leading retail expert (leadership workshop; morning keynote; store tours); Tom Furphy, CEO of Seattle-based Consumer Equity Partner; Kevin Coupe, Author and “Content Guy” for MorningNewsBeat.com; and Meghan Dear, & Ashley Good  of Localize; Gary Sands, VP of Public Policy at CFIG; Robert Graybill of FMS; Chris Yli-Luoma of @Freshguru; and Frank Yeo, Editor of Western Grocer magazine.

(Click on each speaker to download their presentations; for video from event, email: info@cfig.ca)

Every year Grocery & Specialty Food West handpicks the Top Ten Most Innovative Products and presents the awards for the Grocery & Specialty Food West Best Booth awards in multiple categories. Congratulations to all of our 2016 winners.

2016 Top 10 Most Innovative Products (no particular order):

1. Almond Milk Puddings (Dark Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, Vanilla Bean), Lakeview Farms
2. Jams (Sour Cherry, Rose Hip, & Fig), Bosa Foods
3. Creamed Raw Prairie Honey, Wendell Estate Honey
4. Oasis SmoOthies, A. Lassonde
5. Ready to Eat Quinoa (Mango & Jalapeno, Artichoke & Roasted Peppers, Spicy Jalapeno & Roasted Peppers, and Basil, Pesto), Tree of Life
6. Blackberry Ginger Ale (Naturally Flavoured), Coca Cola
7. Crim City Soda, DD Beverage Co.
8. Tortilla Bowls, General Mills
9. Fish Fillets, Cold Fish Seafood Company
10. SKYR Icelandic Style Yogurt, Dairy Farmers of Canada (Lekker Foods)

2016 GSFW Best Booth Winners  

Best Single Booth: Wendell Estate Honey (Booth #522)
Best Double Booth: Van-Whole Produce (Booth #1730)
Best Multiple Booth: Weston Bakeries/Ready Bake Foods Inc. (Booth #715)
Best Marketed Booth: Maple Leaf (Booth #1115)

For more information on Grocery & Specialty Food West, please visit website.