2023 Summer Fancy Food Show

 

2023 SFFA

Summer Fancy Food Show 2023

by Lance Thompson on Jun 29, 2023

June 27th marks the conclusion of another great show held by the Specialty Food Association (SFA). This year's Summer Fancy Food Show was held for three days on the 25th, 26th, and 27th of June at the Javits Center in Manhattan, New York.

Since 2012, the World Trade Center of Harrisburg has been attending and exhibiting a booth alongside our partners to help expand and promote our state. With our state's various types of delicious goods, Pennsylvania has a big presence at the Summer Fancy Food Show.

PA Partners

This year a total of 42 Pennsylvania businesses attended this year's Fancy Food Show. With a variety of goods, Pennsylvania offered a lot from a country taste of amish honey and cheeses in Lancaster to our local snacks in Pittsburgh. The list of Pennsylvania businesses that attended the show is below (the companies highlighted in red are from your local South Central region):

Asher's Chocolate  Souderton, PA  ashers.com	Don's Prepared Foods  Schwenksville, PA  donspreparedfoods.com
Bluestem Botanicals  Doylestown, PA  bluestembotanicals.com	Ecotone Food Inc  Pittsburgh, PA  www.clipper-teas.us
Bumbleberry Farms  Pittsburgh, PA  bumbleberryfarms.com	Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters West Chester, PA  goldenvalleyfarms.com
Cilantro & Ajo  Pittsburgh, PA  cilantroajo.com	Gosia's Peirogies  Latrobe, PA  wgosiaspierogies.com
DelGrosso Foods  Tipton, PA  delgrossofoods.com	Green Tree Foods  Quarryville, PA
DeLallo Foods  Mt. Pleasant, PA  delallo.com	Greenomic Delikatessen USA  North Wales, PA  greenomic.us
Dietz & Watson  Philadelphia, PA  dietzandwatson.com	Herb & Lou's LLC  Blue Bell, PA  herbandlous.com
Jyoti Natural Foods  Sharon Hill, PA  jyotifoods.com	Milhans Foods/Otto Nuts  Pittsburgh, PA  milhans.com.tr
Konopelski Meats LLC  Sinking Spring, PA  konopelskimeats.com	Miller's Gourmet Foods  Valencia, PA  eatmillers.com
Liokareas Greek Imports  Bethel Park, PA  www.liokareas.com	Mingle Beverage Company  Wayne, PA  minglemocktails.com
Madagascar Vanilla Company  Malvern, PA  madagascarvanillacompany.com	OMG Pretzel Plymouth  Meeting, PA  omgpretzels.com
Martin's Quality Eggs  Litiz, PA  martinseggs.com	Orto Conserviera USA  Glen Mills, PA  www.ortoconserviera.com
Meiji America Inc.  York, PA  meijiamerica.com	Pretzel Pete  Hatboro, PA  pretzelpete.com
Met-Speed Label  Levittown, PA  metspeedlabel.com	Savello USA  Wilkes Barre, PA  savellousa.com
Savencia Cheese USA  New Holland, PA  savenciacheeseusa.com	The Clearly Food & Beverage Co. Pittsburgh, PA  clearlycanadian.com
Side Project Beef Jerkey LLC  Lafayette Hill, PA  sideprojectjerky.com	Three Rivers Salsa  Pittsburgh, PA  threeriverssalsa.com
Simpson Imports  Jenkintown, PA  simpsonbrands.com	Unique Pretzel Bakery Inc  Reading, PA  uniquesnacks.com
Smart Juices LLC  Whitehall, PA  smartjuice.us	US Durum Products  Lancaster, PA  usdurum.com
Stone County Specialties  Tamaqua, PA  woswit.com	TBJ Gourmet West Chester, PA tbjgourmet.com
Vink & Beri LLC  Norristown, PA  vinkandberi.com	Stichler Products Inc.  Reading, PA  megabuttons.com
Neillys neillys.com	Maia Yogurt MaiaYogurt.com

First Experience at a Food Show

With the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show being my first trade show that was food oriented, I was introduced to a lot of new ideas and advertising.  I have attended other trade shows before, but the Fancy Food Show was different from the rest. This show is different from how interactive it is compared to others. Almost every booth had samples of their products that you could try.

Many companies tried different ideas for advertisements and samples. A majority of booths would give out samples in cups or plates. Depending on what the product is, booths would also have to-go packages of their products. Some of the bigger companies would have an area to sit down at their booth and they would serve the guests with a little show on how their product is made. All of these ideas of advertisement were put to test at the show.

The Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest food show in the United States with companies coming from all over the world. The show floor was sorted out by specific parts of the world. One of the show floors had all the businesses in the United States and they were sorted out by state. On another floor they had all of the international businesses sorted out by country. This made the show easy to walk through and stay organized.

With this being a food show, there is a lot of food that is left over after the show. This extra food does not go to waste. After the show, the vendors leave their extra food and samples to be picked up by City Harvest which is a non-profit organization that rescues food to be given to those in need. This year they were able to save 94,600 pounds of food to be given to more than 31,000 families. 

If you are interested in attending or maybe even booking a booth at the next Summer Fancy Food Show, the next time it takes place is June 23-25, 2024. Visit the Specialty Food Associations website for more information.

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

 

WTC Harrisburg

Bringing the World to PA 2022

The World Trade Center Harrisburg in conjunction with the Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development hosted Bringing the World to PA 2022 on September 14 at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg PA.  Everyone was excited to be meeting in person for the first time in several years due to the Covid pandemic. 

12 Pennsylvania’s International Trade Representatives, 30 clients representing 22 regional businesses, 6 sponsors and exhibitors, and other partners joined together for a spirited day of discussing international market opportunities.  12 client companies were new, first time attendees of the event.  Overall, 115 meetings took place between trade representative and businesses.  

The day started bright and early with several 8 am meetings.  By 9 am, and throughout most of the day, the trade representatives had a steady flow of meetings.    Lively discussions continued into the luncheon.

Allan Klinge, Chair of the WTCH Board, shared recent trade successes and then introduced our two speakers.  Randy Campbell, Administrator of FTZ 147 provided an overview of our region's foreign trade zone’s history and spectacular growth in recent years.  Amy Sahm, Senior Vice President and Manager, International Group, Fulton Bank was our keynote speaker.  She provided a review of the current environment of increasing global sanctions programs, potential banking delays and fluctuating currency markets.

 

 Everyone was back to business after lunch with many of the afternoon meeting slots completely filled.  The day ended with positive words of successful discussions and promising trade leads.   We look forward to advancing the prospective opportunities from these meetings through export work orders, projects and grants.

Maureen Hotchner, Hotchner Workplace Wellness, was one of the first time attendees.  She positively commented about the event, saying, "Thanks so much for facilitating the “speed dating” event this week!  I learned a lot and it was fantastic meeting the local and foreign attendees." 

Client Chiemeka "Kingsley" Chikezie from Air Dynamics in York, PA summed up the event perfectly with these words,  "Air Dynamics appreciates the opportunity to connect with the various Authorized Trade Representatives from yesterdays PA World Trade event.  We utilized the opportunity as a chance to gather information regarding the various markets and guidance regarding International Trade (Imports/Exports). All the representatives were more than helpful, and the guidance provided was invaluable." 

A Guide to the Global Help Desk

Announcing PA's New Taiwan Trade Office

                  

Pennsylvania's Office of International Business Development is pleased to announce that Anemone Ventures is the Commonwealth's new Authorized Trade & Investment Representative in Taiwan.

PA based companies can access the services of the Taiwan trade office by contacting their Regional Export Network Office - WTC Harrisburg is the regional partner for southcentral PA based firms.  Examples of services include: 

·         Gathering marketing and competitive intelligence

·         Providing insight and analysis on market entry strategies

·         Identifying overseas partners, distributors and agents

·         Providing regulatory information

·         Identifying relevant trade events

·         Conducting foreign company background checks

·         Organizing in-country meetings and logistical assistance

·         Assisting with trade leads and more....

Additional PA trade offices are located in Australia, Canada, Central and Eastern Europe, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.  These 13 offices cover 46 countries and services are available at no cost.

Here is why Taiwan is relevant now to consider in your next business expansion plan:

Taiwan is a leading technology based economy known among the four Asian Tigers (Singapore, HK, South Korea and Taiwan) and despite the COVID-19 global impact, Taiwan has been able to display a strong economic growth of an estimated 6% in 2021. 

Taiwan’s continuous economic growth over the past three years has been primarily driven by the island’s world-leading semiconductor manufacturers and their ongoing expansion. Other factors include the considerable investment from companies exiting China due to international trade disputes, China's internal crackdown on technological companies and the vigorous construction of renewable energy facilities in Taiwan. These growth engines have boosted investor confidence in Taiwan; attracting significant foreign investment to create a momentum on which substantial current and future renewable energy efforts are carried forward. 

Taiwan is a democracy with a sound legal system, strong Intellectual Property (IP) protection, and a well-educated and skilled workforce. These provide the foundation which has enabled Taiwan to position itself as a regional technology hub, highly attractive to multinational companies seeking business expansion opportunities on the island and in East Asia.

Taiwan is located within 4 in-flight hours from major Asian markets such as China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. The island can thereby serve as a practical and logistical springboard into China and other markets in the Asia region.

The average voyage time from the South Port of Kaohsiung, the 15th largest in the world, to five major ports including Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo is approximately 53 hours. It is an important bridge between Europe, United States, Japan and the emerging Asian markets, and a top choice for operation centers of multinational companies in Asia Pacific in addressing their logistics and supply needs.

 

Taiwan Key Facts:

• Population: 23.57 Mil
• Official Language: Mandarin
• Land area of 36,193 km2
• Major Cities (by population): Taipei (capital), Kaushuing, Taichung and Tainan 
• GDP: USD 759.104 billion (2021)
• GDP Per Capita: USD 34,880 (2021)
• 2022 GDP Estimated Growth 4.5%
• A super-aged society by 2026 
• Currency: USD 1.00 ≈ NTD 28.00

Taiwan as a Business Hub in Asia:

• Top 5 export destinations: China and Hong Kong, ASEAN, USA, EU, Japan (2021)
• High level technological workforce
• Relatively low operational costs 
• Modern and efficient infrastructure 
• Leading high-tech and OEM manufacturing
• Legal certainty

Taiwan International Ranking:

• 4th globally and 2nd in Asia in the Investment Environment Risk Assessment Report, 2021
• 8th most competitive economy, 2021
• 16th globally in the World Talent Ranking, 2021
• 6th Freest economy in the Index of Economic Freedom, 2021
• 15th Ease of doing business, 2020
• 5th Largest foreign exchange reserves, 2021
• 21st Ease of starting a business, 2020
• 2nd World’s safest country, 2020
• 30th Renewable Energy Attractiveness, 2021
• 22nd GDP Ranking, 2021

 

Industrial Clusters:
Taiwan has a comprehensive upstream, midstream, and downstream supply chain supporting their technology based industries and their need for customized components.

It has the highest industrial cluster density in the world. And its successful IT competitiveness mainly relies on superior high-tech infrastructure and R&D talent.

The industrial clusters have positioned Taiwan globally as:

• 1st in foundry and packaging & testing manufacturing
• 2nd largest producer of IT hardware equipment 
• 2nd in IC design industry
• 3rd in PC products

International Investments:
International corporations including Google, Microsoft, ASML, Corning, Micron and Ørsted have increased their investments in Taiwan to intensify collaboration in R&D, advanced manufacturing, and industry collaboration.