Specialty Food Association

10/12/2026

Happy National Farmers Day! Today we're tipping our hats to the SFA members who grow, harvest, ferment, press, and roast the good stuff. Your products make every shelf (and every snack table) better. Thank you for all you grow! 💛

Fair Share Farm
Central Coast Family Farm
Durant Oregon
Shelburne Farms
Aloha Star 100% Kona Coffee Farm
Frantoio Grove
Machina Mele Farm

10/10/2026

Sweet news for a great cause! 💗 SFA member See's Candies is teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the first time this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with a limited-edition Pink Bordeaux and a goal of raising $105,000 to celebrate their 105th anniversary. 🎀

San Francisco — See’s Candies is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the first time on a month-long campaign supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including a limited-edition confection and fundraising efforts. Throughout October, customers can make donations to Susan G....

10/09/2026

"Never negotiate against yourself." Michael Sands, CPA, PC of The Maker Group is sharing his best advice for emerging brands ahead of his session, Essential Negotiation Skills, at the Maker Growth Summit, December 8-10 in Boston.

To hear more expert advice from Michael on how emerging brands can win in today's marketplace, register here: https://app.swapcard.com/login/event/maker-growth-summit/registration

Know Why You Win, Don't Negotiate with Yourself, and More Expert Advice for Emerging Brands October 02, 2026 Michael Sands is an entrepreneur, C-suite executive, innovator, and investor with more than 35 years in the food and beverage industry. He has led and scaled multiple high-growth consumer pac...

10/08/2026

How are 🏆 submissions scored? Is it really "blind" tasting to pick the finalists and winners? Take a look ➡️

⭐ Specialty food buyers will taste and score products across 15 categories on Day 1 (Oct 8), and 10 categories on Day 2 (Oct 9).
⭐ The judging process is rigorous, structured, and "blind," meaning no packaging or brands are known to the judges as they taste, enabling them to focus wholly on the products.
⭐ Products are scored independently by each judge. For each criterion they receive a score from 1 to 5: Taste (flavor, appearance, texture, and aroma), Ingredient Quality (use of ingredients, unnecessary additives or artificial ingredients, and creativity), Innovation (unexpected culinary experiences, creativity in formulation or manufacturing, and responsiveness to evolving consumer preferences).
⭐ The judges' combined evaluations determine which products advance to the finalist stage and ultimately receive Gold and Grand Honor Awards.

Check back tomorrow for more updates from the sofi Awards judging, taking place at Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC)!

10/07/2026

Want to know how SFA member, Lady Babka, founded by sisters Sariel & Adar, went from regional shelves to national retail? Read the full case study now:https://www.specialtyfood.com/getmedia/ee49bca6-5de3-455e-a622-e324fe925d84/Lady-Babka-Case-Study-Final.pdf

In our latest case study, we share how exhibiting at SFA trade shows helped Lady Babka make connections, get their products in front of the right buyers, and open doors to national retail.

10/07/2026

Sneak peek alert! 🚨 Here's a taste of what's waiting in the Spotlight Shoppe at *. Fresh finds, new brands, and a whole lot of snackable inspiration. Register now and see what’s waiting for you: https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/winter-fancyfaire/

Woody's Food LLC
Anderson International Foods, Inc.
Funk Foods LLC
Seely Family Farms

10/06/2026

Specialty today, staple tomorrow. TASTE just put some of our members in the spotlight, and we're cheering loudly! 🌶️✨

Congrats to FLY BY JING, Brooklyn Delhi, Bari, Chenzi, TofuGo, and Mother-in-Law's for bringing bold flavors to more shelves, and for being part of a story about how today's "niche" becomes tomorrow's pantry staple.

AAPI-founded food start-ups are transforming our grocery aisles and filling our social media feeds, but what does lasting change look like?

10/06/2026

Birria is on the rise, and it's not slowing down. Latin American flavors are now staples on American tables, and birria is leading the way. Members, check out our new trend report here (sign-in required): https://www.specialtyfood.com/account/sign-in/?ReturnUrl=%2Feducation%2Fmember-resource-library%2F

Two other flavors are also climbing: street corn-flavored products are up 33% and churro-flavored products are up 24% this year, as specialty brands bring beloved Latin American flavors to fresh and familiar formats.

10/05/2026

Congratulations to the SFA members named to Whole Foods Market's 2026 LEAP Early Growth cohort! Read the full story from Progressive Grocer: https://progressivegrocer.com/whole-foods-market-names-10-emerging-brands-its-2026-accelerator-program

Folkland
Tea with Tae
Sababa Foods
HOL Healthclub
Joon Foods (Pistachios)
Cotto
HEYDOH (Soul Bean Inc)

Chosen brands will receive mentorship, education, networking support from Whole Foods

10/02/2026

Closing out National Coffee Week with a look at what's brewing next: the cold brew boom. https://www.specialtyfood.com/account/sign-in/?ReturnUrl=%2Feducation%2Fmember-exclusive-resources

Our July Trend Report, “Buzzing with Purpose: Coffee, Energy Drinks & the Future of Functional Drinks,” takes a closer look at the rise of cold brew and the convenience-driven formats reshaping the beverage aisle. With cold brew projected to grow more than 400% by 2034, brands like Jot, Javvy, and Pop & Bottle are showing how premium coffee is moving beyond the traditional cup.

Not an SFA member? Join to unlock this report and more member-exclusive insights: https://www.specialtyfood.com/explore-benefits