IDDBA 2023 Preview

Withweeks to go until the doors open, retailers and manufacturers agree the IDDBA 2023 show can’t get here fast enough. Whether it’s sampling the latest flavors and recipes or scoping out what’s new and fresh, retailers have a clear plan set in place for how to best spend their time at the show. Meanwhile, manufacturers are setting in place products and packaging they are eager to absorb feedback on during face-to-face, one-on-one conversations. Anticipation is high

“My team and I attend the show to look for new vendors that are emerging into the industry or just starting up,” said Jody Barrick with UNFI. “We like to look for the hidden gem. Each team member needs to come back with a minimum of three products that we can react to and get out to our customers.”

“We are excited to be there with a strong group to share the experience and learn,” said Voni Woods with Giant Eagle. “New trends are essentially everywhere! There are always new items or something launching that we haven’t see yet. While this is a common reason to attend, it’s only one of the amazing experiences that will inspire us. The opportunity to talk to suppliers face-toface all in one place is amazing. The networking with attendees we meet along the way is awesome. The events that IDDBA provides for the entire community of attendees keeps us so engaged in the industry work! The ‘What’s in Store LIVE’ area on the show floor is created by the best of the best dairy, deli, bakery volunteers in the world to share inspiration. The training, career center, the certifications, the scholarships are all part of IDDBA and have a place for you to learn all that is available at the show and after the show! And finally, the incredible line up of talent delivering messages at the morning sessions over three days is incredible.”

Miso Acimovic with Federated Ci-Operatives is going into the show with an open mind. “I am looking forward to seeing new ideas and trends that can be taken away,” Acimovic said. “I look forward to seeing not only new items, but also merchandising ideas.”

Barrick with UNFI highly anticipates the opportunities attending the IDDBA Show affords her team. “It is a great way for us to connect with our customers, brokers and vendor partners to talk about how to drive sales, and this year a big focus is on ways to drive sales in an ever-changing inflationary time,” she explained. “‘What’s in Store LIVE’ area for next merchandising trends from vendor partners or merchandising experts. Just connect and network and keep the industry forward looking.”

Following a handful of years when in-person industry tradeshows were on hold, Woods with Giant Eagle and her team appreciate returning to a tradeshow format that is effective and impactful. “I want to share that my team and I are grateful for this yearly show,” she said.

Walking the showroom floors presents opportunities for retailers that can’t be matched in other settings. “I am looking forward to networking with other industry professionals and developing new contacts,” said Acimovic with Federated Ci-Operatives. On the other side of the booth

“The first thing I hope people notice is the breadth of what we offer,” said Tim Lotesto, Senior Director, National Retail Key Accounts for Alpha Baking Co. “From cocktail rye loaves and widepan breads to gourmet buns and muffins, our goal is to have every visitor immediately see a way Alpha Baking can fill a need they may have.”

“Our primary objective is to present Lakeview Farms’ broad assortment of winning brands and products,” said Greg Klein Chief Marketing Officer for Lakeview Farms.

“[We] really want them [retailers] to see professionals working hard to meet the needs of their customers in a changing and difficult marketplace,” said Tom Cavanaugh, VP Sales and Marketing for Gardner Pie Company.

During this year’s IDDBA, Epicurean Butter is switching up its agenda and launching a new product category this year. “We are getting into cream cheese,” said Niloy Phukan, Chief Commercial Officer. “We’re launching some innovation this year. It’s funny because we are Epicurean Butter [and] we are trying to figure out a way to be, we’re still Epicurean Butter, but we might put a violator sign over the ‘butter’ and say ‘cream cheese’ when we are going to sample cream cheese because we found there is a need for it in baking and restaurants. There’s a need for a specialty cream cheese that’s got a ton of flavor but we’re doing something a little different where we are mixing cream cheese with mascarpone and butter and so we are calling it a cream cheese blend. It’s filling like a [traditional] cream cheese but it’s spreadable like a whipped. It’s right in between. What we’re able to do to flavor stuff, with fresh frozen herbs and spices, we’re able to make some delicious flavors.”

“We previewed it at EXPO West [in March],” he continued. “We did a blueberry-white chocolate cream cheese and then a maple chili crunch cream cheese just to try something different to see what the feedback would be. We got some great feedback from customers and some other food service opportunities and so we’re going to continue down this path of innovation on the cream cheese side. That being said, butter is still our focus. We’re still going to feature our five-pound tubs, our dollops and our retail product. We want visitors to know we are not just butter. We still do amazing butter, we’re going to focus on the cream cheese as well, but we don’t want people to get lost in the fact that we are still a butter company. That’s our, hate to say it, that’s our bread and butter—such a bad pun. We are excited to branch out into some innovation but it’s still close to our core. We have a wholesale partner looking to possibly stuff some French toast with it. How can people use the product, and we want to convey that it can be used in so many ways. You can spread it on, you can apply it over, you can put it in like a stuffed chicken breast or French toast.”

“We look forward to having visitors taste for themselves what a difference double A cream butter, cream cheese, scratch made buttercream, and other premium ingredients make in the quality of a baked good,” said Lyn and Matthew Grogan of Sweet Sam’s. “While visitors enjoy the taste of the product, they can see and appreciate our updated packaging, neon sign, and contemporary branding.”

“We want our customers to know that