April 22, 2024, VANCOUVER, B.C.— Today was Day 1 of Grocery & Specialty Food West 2024 (GSF 2024) and record registration has been set — Highest ever!
Day 1 began with the MORNING CONFERENCE at the Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building. Tom Shurrie delivered welcome remarks that set the stage for a panel discussion at 9:15AM by Amanda Lai, McMillanDoolittle; along with U.S. independent grocers Nancy Lebold, New Seasons Market and Lauren Redman, Rudy’s Markets to discuss the future of food innovation — an in-depth discussion about practical approaches to how they differentiated themselves from larger players in the grocery space to drive sales and build customer loyalty.
At 10:00AM attendees were treated to a live taping of the Chatter that Matters podcast, hosted by Tony Chapman with guest Jay DeMerit, former Captain of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Jay recounted his story of chasing his dreams, beating the odds and how he developed a culture of winning,
The LIVE trade show floor officially opened its doors at 11:00AM and attendees were eager to check out the wide range of products and booths in Halls A, B and C.
The Best Booths awards were announced and the winners were:
Single Booth:Greenhouse JuiceBooth #: 511
Double Booth:Lucifer’s House of HeatBooth #: 1600
Marketed Booth:Sonray Sales Ltd.Booth #: 620
Multi Booth:McCain FoodsBooth #: 1121
Then came the highly anticipated “TOP TEN IN GROCERY AWARDS”! In the afternoon, Editors from leading trade publications along with a retail committee voted on their top picks for the “Top 10 in Grocery Awards” chosen amongst the New Product Showcase entries.
The winners of the Top TEN in Grocery are (in no particular order):
SINFIT Protein ChipsPizza flavourBooth #: 1615Best Health and Wellness ProductCompany: SINFITDistributor: True North NutritionManufacturer: SINFIT
Zanzibar Spice Barbecue MarinadeBooth #: 304BBest Sauce ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Aki’s Fine Foods Ltd.
Cavendish Farms Quick CrispOnion RingsBooth #: 720Best Convenience ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Cavendish Farms
Saputo Halloumi Style Cheese FriesOriginal flavourBooth #: 609Best Snack ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Saputo Dairy Products Canada GP
Mediterania Soft Creamy FetaSoft Creamy FetaBooth #: 1205Best Dairy ProductCompany/Manufacturer: Chaeban Artisan
Smoked Soy-Free TofuFirmBooth #: 1501BBest Vegan ProductCompany/Manufacturer: Big Mountain Foods
Cake JarEggless Red VelvetBooth #: 1730Best Dessert ProductCompany: Just Cakes Bakeshop
Breaded OystersSmokedBooth #: 302Best Seafood ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Sawmill Bay
Häagen-Dazs exträas Key Lime PieKey Lime PieBooth #: 615Best Frozen ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Nestlé
Localcoin ATMBitcoin ATMBooth #: 1201Best Non-Food ProductCompany/Distributor/Manufacturer: Localcoin ATM
The day concluded with a “mix and mingle” followed by a Gala Dinner co-hosted by Laura Collaton and Tony Chapman with entertainment by comedic magician, Wes Baker. The Canadian Foundation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) celebrated the following Life Members at the Gala Dinner: Larry Chmielewski, Dan Bregg, Ian Dickson and Scott Mitchell.
© 2024 Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
