Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network

This morning, I attended the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network Innovation Breakfast. Alan Reed does such a great job of curating excellent guests at events like this. If you are one of the 4,500 Chicagoland food companies, this is a resource that you should utilize. Here are a few key takeaways: Chomps is currently the fastest growing snack brand in the USA. To what do they attribute the exponential growth? A focus on developing brand awareness for the last 16 years has led to "overnight" success. What seems like fast startup success often overlooks years of quite learning and development. McCain Foods is benefiting from the TikTok effect. Videos demonstrating how far the cheese in fried cheese sticks can stretch has led to numerous requests for stretcher cheese innovation. More broadly, they see sales growth in value priced items and high end indulgent products. It is challenging to be positioned in the middle. Simple Mills is leaning into AI for things like generating new concepts and data analysis. This is speeding innovation by providing more focused direction. Emily also commented on the change that has occurred in the package design of better for you products. White, Tan, and Brown's have been replaced with loud and bold colors. The Gen Z design aesthetic is now leading the way. bluedog sees a future of Transformational Regeneration of mega brands. Simply switching from dyes to colors from natural sources will not be enough. Brands will need to transform all aspects of their identity to stay relevant. The last Innovation Breakfast event was in 2018 pre-pandemic. I find it interesting to watch how language has changes over the years. Back in 2018 "Natural" was still an often-used word. Today I do not think it was used once. "Innovation" had been reserved for what now would be called "Breakthrough Innovation". "Innovation" is currently used to describe everything that anyone thinks is new. I think we are seeing peak use of the word "Innovation". In time, the use of this word will decline, and new words will take its place. What do you think are the candidates for the food industry Buzz Words of 2028?

Are you a passionate marketer that loves building and creating and wants to positively impact our food system? If so, come join our team! We are hiring for a Senior Brand Manager to join our movement in pursuit of better!

Did you know that the food manufacturing industry is one of the top most cyber attacked industries globally? But here's the good news: you can take action to safeguard your business and yourself! Join CFBN and Fifth Third Bank on March 27th for a crucial conversation about cybersecurity in the food industry. We're bringing together top experts to help you understand the risks and learn practical strategies to protect yourself and your business operations. For info and registration: https://lnkd.in/gqtPUE6H Fifth Third Bank Lori Anello CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen)David Anderson Aon Karrieann Couture Rod K. Mindsight ACP CreativIT Alan Reed

Will 2025 be a tough year? According to our global FQSA recruitment consultant, James Cracknell - it all depends on your people. Every company has its challenges - but the businesses that thrive are the ones that invest in the right talent. James was a guest on a recent webinar organised by Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network , and explained why people - not just plans - will define success this year. 👇 Standing still isn’t an option. If your talent strategy isn’t moving forward, you risk falling behind. You can get more expert insight from the '2025: What to Expect in Hiring and Staffing' webinar here: https://loom.ly/rmoZADo #CPG #FMCG #Hiring #Recruitment #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #Chicagoland #Chicago

For all those at Expo West March 6th and interested in driving growth for your food and beverage business, be sure to check out this immersive presentation on What Women Really Want!