Winter Fancy Food Show Highlights New Products, Emerging Trends

Specialty food and beverage industry professionals from around the world gathered at the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 49th Winter Fancy Food Show.

Sponsored by Italy, the show ran Jan. 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Nearly 1,100 exhibitors from around the world, across almost 50 specialty food and beverage categories, exhibited at the show, which welcomed 12,000 industry participants. In addition to makers and buyers, the show was attended by industry affiliates, press, influencers, investors and trendspotters.

“As we close the chapter on the final Winter Fancy Food Show, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our incredibly creative specialty food makers who showcased an inspiring mix of trend-setting innovations and beloved legacy products. I also want to thank the enthusiastic attendees whose energy and engagement made this show a resounding success,” said Bill Lynch, SFA president.

“Looking ahead, we are excited to usher in a new era with Winter FancyFaire* in San Diego, beginning in 2026. Building on the strong foundation of the Winter Fancy Food Show, Winter FancyFaire* will carry forward its legacy – bringing together a dynamic community of entrepreneurs, buyers and thought leaders to kick off the industry’s annual cycle with vibrant connections, insightful education and groundbreaking products for many years to come.”

Winter Fancy Food Show highlights

SFA’s new first-of-year trade show, Winter FancyFaire*, was announced at the First Night Celebration party. Winter FancyFaire* will take place in San Diego in 2026, and in San Francisco in 2027, where attendees will get a first look at the products, trends and suppliers shaping the food industry.

Highlights included:

• Keynotes and sessions featuring Scott Conant, two-time James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author and TV personality; journalist Patranya Bhoolsuwan; Molly Baz, American recipe developer, New York Times bestselling cookbook author and founder; with journalist Matt Rodbard on the main stage. Nearby, at the Ask the Experts and Spark Showcase, intimate panels and product pitches were featured.
• Spark Showcase, a dynamic area offering daily programming that sparked new ideas, connections and discoveries. Co-hosts included Spark Showcase, USDA’s Northwest & Rocky Mountain RFBC and Naturally New York.
• Fancy Face-Off Pitch Competition: Entrepreneurs representing four brands pitched their products to a panel of industry experts and audience members during this fast-paced competition. Pi00a was crowned the grand prize winner by judges Al Mancini, Neon Feast; Casey Gaston, Whole Foods Market; Brandon Ng, Houlihan Lokey and James Ren, Thrive Market, while MILKish was fan favorite.
• Maker Prep Graduation, a celebration of the first class of manufacturers to complete the reimagined six-month Maker Prep Course, which began at the 2024 summer show. SFA also kicked off the next Maker Prep Cohort for the class that will graduate at the 2025 summer show.
• The Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel: Nine professionals from areas of the culinary world scouted the show floor for the latest innovations. The panel consisted of Patranya Bhoolsuwan, Emmy Award-winning journalist and founder and CEO, Patranya Media LLC; Mikel Cirkus, senior director, global foresight and design, dsm-firmenich; Jenn de la Vega, chef, stylist, cookbook author, trends expert, Randwiches; Jonathan Deutsch, CHE, CRC, professor and director, Drexel Food Lab, Drexel University; Jeannie Houchins, global communications executive; Sarah Lohman, food historian and author; Matt Rodbard, editor-in-chief, TASTE; Cathy Strange, ambassador of food culture, Whole Foods; and Summer Thompson, senior buyer, Market Hall Foods.
• Giving back: At the end of the show, exhibitors continued their tradition of giving back by donating tens of thousands of pounds of unopened meat, cheese, produce, confections and snacks to Three Square. More than 15,000 pounds of food and beverages were donated.

The next Fancy Food Show is the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show, June 29-July 1 in New York, and the 2026 Winter FancyFaire*, Jan. 11-13 in San Diego.