So your just started a specialty food business and you think the 38^th Winter Fancy Food Show is your place to generate awareness of your brand. BUT you have been there before and feel you will be overwhelmed by more mature brands and bigger displays.

NASFT is devoting a special section of its West Coast show featuring 25 emerging food artisans and entrepreneurs who are presenting their products at the show for the first time.

The pavilion, called "New Brands on the Shelf," includes tabletop displays and samples from participants in the Member Candidate program offered by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc., (NASFT) the show's owner. The program helps industry newcomers succeed in the $75 billion specialty food industry. The program has attracted nearly 400 companies and helped many entrepreneurs turn their passion for food into viable businesses. I meet many food entrepreneurs at the show and some are featured here on Food & Beverage, like Read Set Cupcake.

Food Trends 2013 Emerging at Fancy Food

According to a spokesperson Licorice plum juice, orange cayenne marzipan covered in dark chocolate, and kits to make jerk chicken, sushi, tamales and tagines are among the innovative flavor combinations and products that will be featured.

"The specialty food industry is attracting so many creative entrepreneurs at a time when interest in great food has never been higher," says NASFT President Ann Daw. "The pavilion provides our Member Candidates with real life experience interacting with key buyers from around the world."

The Winter Fancy Food Show, which runs Jan. 20 - 22, 2013 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. It is the largest marketplace devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast, with 1,300 exhibitors representing 35 countries and regions.

Emerging Food Entrepreneurs Featured