SNAXPO23 round-up: snack industry gather for education, innovation

Produced by SNAC International, the event offered opportunities to share ideas, technology, and more.

Howard Friedman.jpg — Utz Brands CEO Howard Friedman sat down with SNAC International President/CEO Christine Cochran for a fireside chat. The newly appointed executive stressed the importance of being open and honest with staff, and remaining true to your mission.

Elite Spice.jpg — SNAXPO 2023 attendees flocked to booths to engage attendees like Elite Spice about their latest product and service offerings. Exhibitors told *Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery* they ended this year’s event with a number of solid leads and deals.

Flavor Showdown.jpg — Sponsored by *Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery*, the event invites flavor companies exhibiting at SNAXPO to come up with their best, most innovative sweet and savory flavors. Attendees then taste the flavors at the show, voting on their picks for the best in each category. View this year’s winners here.

During the “Heating Methods for Fryers” SNAC Bites session, Daniel Luna of PPM Technologies outlined differences in heating methods, and which types of snack fryers might be best suited for different types of snack-producing operations.

Justin Spannuth, COO of Unique Snacks and the incoming chairman of SNAC International’s 2023-2024 Executive Committee, accepted the gavel from outgoing chairman Dan Sifer, senior vice president of global sourcing with Herr’s Foods.

Continuous Mixing.jpg — During the SNAC Bites session “Continuous Mixing for Snack Foods,” Nico Roesler of Reading Bakery Systems shared how the practice can yield a number of benefits, including increased productivity, improved consistency, boosted flexibility, and more.

Jenny Mintel.jpg — During her keynote presentation, Jenny Zegler, director of Food & Drink and Global Consumer, Mintel, discussed the trend producers should be acting on now (healthy indulgences), trends to act on next (“savvy sustenance”), and what’s next (snacks that enable consumers to stay sharp).

Puppy Lounge.jpg — While the show floor was mostly keenly focused on doing business and making connections, the SNAXPO Puppy Lounge (where attendees could pet and play with dogs from a local animal shelter) offered attendees a stress-relieving respite from the action.

Shane Battier.jpg — Former NBA great Shane Battier delivered an inspiring keynote address, with lessons on succeeding in business and in life. The Michigan native shared tales of exchanging empty bottles as a kid for the deposit so he could rack up enough change to buy packets of Better Made potato chips.

Snack rack.jpg — Stand-up displays outside the SNAXPO entrance and throughout the show floor kept attendees well feed. Companies like Unique Snacks, Utz, Old Dutch, and other producers donated the product, which was rotated and refilled throughout the event.

The Startups Hub offered new and emerging producers a chance to showcase their innovations and network with peers from larger, established companies. Participating firms included OffLimits, a line of vegan, gluten-free, “offensively delicious” cereals.

tna award.jpg — Alf Taylor (left) and Nadia Taylor, co-founders of TNA Solutions, with John Mark Singleton of Rudolph Foods.

Next Year.jpg — SNAC International communicated the news about upcoming events—including SNX 2024 (April 14-16 in Dallas) and SNAXPO 2025 (March 30-April 1 in Orlando) in the one part of the convention center nearly every SNAXPO 2023 attendee stopped by.

With the theme “SNAX to the MAX,” SNAXPO23 welcomed thousands of attendees to check out the latest supplier innovations, talk technology, taste interesting flavor innovations, and more. After the event (produced by SNAC International) ended and left Orlando’s Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, industry professionals went back to their home offices with a few more business cards in their pockets, ideas in their heads, and a lot of snack samples in their bellies.

“In today’s shifting landscape, snack producers must not only innovate, but scale their newest offerings to exceed the demands of the snack consumer,” Christine Cochran, SNAC International president/CEO, told Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. “To do this, they need the full support and partnership of the entire supply chain, from raw ingredients to store shelf.”

The next big-scale SNAC International in-person event is SNX 2024, scheduled April 14-16 in Dallas. Visit snacintl.org to learn more about that and other upcoming SNAC-produced events.

Photos: Jenni Spinner, SNAC International

Jenni Spinner is the chief editor of Snack Food and Wholesale with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business communications. She has written extensively about food production, safety and packaging; pharmaceutical drug development; concrete and masonry construction; and more. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Illinois. Jenni can be reached at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.

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