BCFB 2024 Community Report

Community Report 2024

Contents.

INSPIRING YOUNG ENTREPENEUR: Lily Harper of Lily Lou’s Aromas speaks with Samantha Falk at Foodpro Thrive Conference.

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05

01 Engaged and Growing A letter from Kirk Homenick, Chair of the Board of Directors

06 08 10 14 16 17

02 About us Meet the BC Food & Beverage team

03 A Year of Growth A letter from James Donaldson, CEO

04 Building Community Highlights from 2024

05 Looking Forward What’s new for 2025

06 A New Era of Learning The Growth Hub

Directors Continuing and Departing Directors

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“These training and networking events are very valuable to my team and me.

Additionally, BC Food & Beverage’s advocacy work in support of 40,000 B.C. workers and their employers plays an essential role in our community."

Michael Lansky, Terra Breads

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01

Engaged and Growing.

Dear Members, 2024 was another exciting year for BC Food & Beverage as the Association continues to grow by increasing its reach, its voice, and most importantly its impact.

Groups, as well as an Executive Roundtable focused on our advocacy efforts in addition to an HR Executive Committee to tackle key labour related issues.

Impact to members is critical to the success of the Association, and we established a detailed set of Key Performance Indicators including a Member Impact Score to measure the Association’s overall engagement with its membership. We set an ambitious target of 167,000 individual engagements (including emails, meetings, events, and social media interaction), and achieved a remarkable Impact Score of 210,481 – an incredible number which really speaks to the commitment of the BC Food & Beverage team!

We also saw BCFB take their advocacy efforts to another level, including the release of its first State of the Industry Report, which drove some key recommendations for our industry in advance of the provincial election and continues to form important discussions. In addition, we were proud to conduct an Industry Needs Assessment for labour which ultimately led to the development and release of an Industry Labour Strategy to prioritize key issues impacting food and beverage companies all over the province.

BCFB was proud to have added over 90 new members last year, and we’re happy to have you as part of the community. It’s always great to see new faces along with those that have been with us for our now 21-year existence. There’s room for everyone!

As we head into 2025, we are excited at the progress we’ve made in our 3-year Strategic Plan, which is entering its final year. BCFB’s goals and priorities are designed to meet the most important needs of our membership, and I look forward to working with our Board of Directors and James and the BCFB team to continue to evolve and increase our impact.

Incredibly, BCFB held over 40 in person and virtual events in 2024, which was by far the most ever. The Association also found new ways to connect with members, launching the Founders and Women in Food & Beverage Peer

Warm regards,

Kirk Homenick

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About Us. BC Food & Beverage is a not-for-profit industry association representing food and beverage manufacturers in British Columbia, whose membership represents approximately $8 billion in industry revenues.

We lead, inspire and support, and we never stop moving forward.

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The 2024 team.

James Donaldson, CEO

Alisa Hutton, COO

Sumner Frizzell, Event & Program Specialist

Christina Choy, Community Manager

Candice Kincaid, Membership Manager

Fernanda Rodrigues, Project Coordinator

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Kelly Gaull, Brand Manager

03

A Year of Growth.

Dear BC Food & Beverage Members BC Food & Beverage’s 20th year was a transformative one for the Association for many reasons. What stands out first for me was our big move into our new office in Burnaby. Building a Strong Industry Community is one of our main strategic pillars, and in our new larger space we can now host the majority of our events and meetings. We love bringing the industry together and it was important for us to have a place to do it. If you haven’t been by, we encourage you to stop in and say hi!

The BCFB team took steps to improve the way we support and connect with members throughout the province and set up a new AV system in our office to make our in-person events more accessible to everyone. This was part of another significant milestone for BCFB which was the development of our Growth Hub by BC Food & Beverage initiative, a growth focused learning ecosystem to support the continued knowledge development of our members regardless of their size, category or location.

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Facilitating Growth and Being the Source of Industry Knowledge Development for Members are two of our other Strategic Pillars, and we look forward to rolling out Growth Hub to you in 2025.

Our last strategic pillar is to Be the Recognized Voice of the Food & Beverage Industry in BC, and we took a big step toward achieving this goal with the release of our State of the Industry Report, Labour Strategy, and expanded our advocacy efforts to multiple ministries in the BC government as well as in Ottawa through Food & Beverage Canada as we invested over 600 hours into being the voice of our members.

We even found time to upgrade the names of our Signature Events as part of modernizing our brand architecture.

The former Foodpro became the Thrive Conference, and our Awards night is now the Rise Awards by BC Food & Beverage.

None of our progress would be possible without the incredible work and dedication of the BCFB team; Alisa, Kelly, Sumner, Fernanda, Christina, Candice, and Cristina – thank you for everything you do to support our members. Additionally, I am grateful for the commitment and leadership of our Board of Directors who help guide the Association.

The importance of our sector has never been clearer. As we face economic uncertainty, the need for BC to have a strong, self-reliant food system is critical to ensuring that our communities continue to have access to high-quality products. You play a vital role in not just feeding our province, but collectively are also an economic engine for BC. We hope you enjoy our latest Community Report and look forward to sharing what’s next!

Sincerely, James Donaldson

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Building Community.

FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS: The Plant Based Workshop Team, left to right Hanaca, Mayumi and Tak

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Member Impact.

210,481

Impact Score for 2024: 210,481 direct interactions and engagements with membership, through, inperson/online meetings, emails, events, social media, Cultivate Magazine and the Weekly Roundup.

KPI Scorecard.

93

70.4%

New Members - goal 80

Membership Retention - goal 75%

60

100%

Net Promoter Score for Signature Events - goal 54

Event Sellout Rate - goal 90%

Ambassador Program.

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Launched last year, the BCFB Ambassador Program engaged 12 influencers with a combined reach of over 500,000. Themed product packages featuring member products helped promote both BCFB and BC’s food and beverage companies. Several ambassadors also attended 2024 signature events, further showcasing our members and association to their communities.

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“Through food and culture we can build connections and amazing networks all around us.”

Tareq Hadhad, CEO & Founder of Peace by Chocolate and inspirational Keynote speaker at the 2024 Foodpro Thrive Conference.

Events.

1903 Attendees 350+

400+

BCFB Awards Attendees

Foodpro attendees

44

45

Online and in person events hosted

Total supporting sponsors. Thank you to our sponsors we couldn’t do it without you!

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BC FOOD & BEVERAGE | 13

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Looking Forward.

As we move into the second half of 2025, BC Food & Beverage is more energized than ever to keep building on the momentum of our 20th anniversary year. With new tools, connections, and initiatives coming to life, we’re excited for what’s ahead.

We’re rolling out the Growth Hub by BC Food & Beverage—a learning and development system designed to support companies of all sizes and stages with the resources, insights, and peer learning they need to grow and thrive.

To improve your experience and streamline how you engage with us, we’re launching both a new BCFB website and an all-new BCFB app, making it easier than ever to register for events, access resources, and stay connected on the go.

Peer Groups continue to expand with new cohorts launching across the province, including Vancouver Island (relaunching), the Okanagan, and brand new for 2025—the Kootenays.

These peer-led groups are at the heart of our mission to foster connection, collaboration, and shared learning.

This year, we have more opportunities than ever to come together, with over 50 virtual and in-person events planned— from training to networking to industry leadership sessions.

We’re also continuing to strengthen the BCFB team with the addition of a full-time Accounting Manager, helping us better serve members and manage our expanding operations.

On the advocacy front, BCFB continues to be a powerful voice for the industry. In 2025, we are proud to be part of key government advisory roles, including as a member of the Trade & Economic Security Task Force and Co-Chair of the Premier’s Task Force on Agriculture & the Food Economy—ensuring our members’ interests are represented at the highest levels.

It’s shaping up to be one of our most impactful years yet—and we’re so glad to have you with us for the journey.

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Better Butchers presents their Plant-Based Chorizo Crumbles at Product of the Year, held at the BCFB office in October. Their product took home Gold in this year’s competition.

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A New Era of Learning.

BC Food & Beverage has launched the Growth Hub, a centralized learning and development platform created specifically for BC’s food and beverage industry. Built to support businesses and individuals across all roles, regions, and stages of growth, the Growth Hub is designed to address key skills gaps, provide industry-specific knowledge, and offer greater access to professional development opportunities.

The platform brings together a range of learning options, including on-demand courses, live webinars, and in-person events, all developed with input from industry experts. Topics span areas such as operations, leadership, sales, marketing, finance, ESG, and HR—ensuring relevance whether you’re on the production floor, in management, or leading a company.

One of the key features is the Certified BC Food & Beverage Professional program, which allows individuals to track their learning and earn a certification through participation in events, courses, and peer group sessions. This flexible, points-based system helps formalize industry learning and supports ongoing career development.

The Growth Hub also supports peer learning and regional engagement. Peer groups are expanding this year to include Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, and the Kootenays, creating space for more connection and collaboration across the province.

In short, the Growth Hub is about making knowledge and skills more accessible to food and beverage professionals throughout BC—no matter where they are or what stage they’re at in their careers. It’s a long-term investment in the capacity and resilience of our industry.

Explore more at growthhub.learnworlds.com.

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Directors.

Departing Directors

Continuing Directors Kirk Homenick, Naturally Homegrown Foods

Pamela Ambriz, Vitalus Nutrition Steve MacIntyre, Fine Choice Foods Jasmine Byrne, Big Mountain Foods Lachlan Whatley, Apex Food Source Alyssa Lasser, Lass Chance Beverages

Leo Wilson, KPMG Ivy Leong, Fresh Direct Produce Group Azeem Ahamed, Elias Honey Stephanie Sang, Granted Consulting Sherrin Western, Shervin Communications Ariel Laver, FASKEN Courtney Lewis, Direct Plus Food Group Matthew Cimon, Bond Bakery Brands

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“This is more than an association; it’s a supercluster. They are the ultimate connectors within our industry in B.C. and beyond, supporting our community by building up and advocating for anyone who makes food their business..”

Miki Talebi, oomé