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MAY 4 + 6, 2021┃ ONLINE
PUSHING THE EDGE OF FOOD INNOVATION 

 

Food Edge Virtual Summit 2021 is emceed by Carole Sioufi, Market Research Analyst, Branchfood.

DAY 1, TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021: FOOD SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

All times are in EST


10:00 AM - 10:10 AM

OPENING REMARKS - WELCOME TO FOOD EDGE 2021!
A note from the Founder of Food Edge about pushing the edge of food innovation in the current times.
Lauren Abda, Founder of Branchfood and Co-Founder of Branch Venture Group

10:10 AM - 10:40 AM

OPENING KEYNOTE - THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOOD
Learn about creating a category and path to market, plant-based product development and innovation, sampling strategies, and opportunities in the space.
Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer, Beyond Meat
Carol Ortenberg, Editor, NOSH

10:40 AM - 11:25 AM

PANEL - REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE: A PATH FORWARD TO SUSTAINABLY FEED OUR GROWING POPULATION
Explore the benefits of regenerative agriculture, how it can help sustainably produce food to feed our growing population, and how brands can benefit from this practice.
Nick McCoy, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Whipstitch Capital
Michael Miille, Chief Executive Officer, Joyn Bio
Elizabeth Candelario, Principal, Studio Airstream
Scott Lively, President & Board Member, Raise American

11:25 AM - 11:55 AM

PRESENTATION - EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES AND TRENDS IN PLANT-BASED PROTEIN
Dive deep into emerging opportunities and trends in the plant-based protein industry and explore some of the new types of companies, products, and technologies that are promising.
Sharyn Murray, Senior Investor Engagement Specialist, Good Food Institute

11:55 AM - 12:25 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - INNOVATION: FINDING WHITESPACE AND SUCCESS IN ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS
Learn about consumer-centric alternative protein innovation, successful innovation processes, strategies to drive awareness and increase consumer adoption of alternative proteins.
Matt Riley, SVP Global Sales, Eat Just
Bob Burke, Principal, Natural Products Consulting

12:25 PM - 1:00 PM

BREAK - NETWORK AWAY!
Check out Hopin’s networking area to connect with fellow attendees. The system automatically pairs you up with someone else, guaranteeing serendipitous and fruitful connections.

1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

PANEL - CELLULAR AGRICULTURE: A TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY SET TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE PLANET
Explore opportunities in the cellular agriculture space, how the technology is fueling transparency in the food supply chain and is set to strengthen communities of local producers.
Kate Krueger, Founder, Helikon Consulting
John Pattison, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cultured Decadance
Luke MacQueen, Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, Boston Meats
David Kaplan, Distinguished Professor Director, Tissue Engineering and Research Center, Tufts University

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR PLANT-BASED INNOVATION
Unlock the power of AI and explore ways the technology can be leveraged to successfully innovate in the plant-based category and enhance the sensory experience of foods.
Chloe Sorvino, Staff Writer, Forbes
Matias Muchnick, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NotCo

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

PRESENTATION - B2B TO B-CORP: A JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD INGREDIENT INNOVATION
Learn about the important role that ingredient innovation plays in advancing a sustainable food system and the successful ways to foster collaboration in the space
Nicole Burke, Technology Scout, Kalsec

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

BREAK - NETWORK AWAY!
Check out Hopin’s networking area to connect with fellow attendees. The system automatically pairs you up with someone else, guaranteeing serendipitous and fruitful connections.

3:15PM - 4:00 PM

PANEL - LOCAL FOOD AT SCALE: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Panelists share their experience leveraging technology to alleviate the pain points associated with local food procurement and to efficiently collaborate in MA's local food economy.
Janelle Nanos, Business Reporter, Boston Globe Media
Elizabeth Dembia, Customer Success and Partnerships Lead, Forager
Arthur Ackles, Vice President of Merchandising and Buying, Roche Bros
Lily Leedom, Founder & CEO, Duxbury Saltworks

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - PLANT-BASED FOOD: FORMING NEW NORMS
Dive deep into Motif's innovative approach to make plant-based foods crave-worthy and more nutritious and to unlock their benefits for the people and our planet.
Michele Fite, Chief Commercial Officer and Strategic Planning, Motif FoodWorks
Elliot Begoun, Founder & Brand Champion, Tig Brands

4:30 PM - 5:15 PM

PANEL - SUSTAINABILITY: A TOP PRIORITY FOR CPG COMPANIES
Explore sustainable practices that food companies of different stages and sizes can implement to drive a positive impact on the planet and its people.
Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
Josh Wiesman, Head of HUB Strategic Innovation, Ocean Spray Cranberries
Briana Warner, CEO, Atlantic Sea Farms
Paul Kollesoff, Co-Founder & General Manager, The Urgent Company, maker of Brave Robot

5:15 PM - 5:45 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - INDOOR FARMING AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Learn more about AeroFarm’s mission, how the company has maintained an innovation mindset amongst rapid growth, and what role it seeks to play in the CPG industry.
Marc Oshima, Co-Founder & CMO, AeroFarms
Lauren Abda, Founder of Branchfood and Co-Founder of Branch Venture Group

 

DAY 2, THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021: SALES AND MARKETING

All times are in EST


10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

FIRESIDE CHAT - THE FUTURE OF FOOD IS SUSTAINABLE, ETHICAL, AND JUST
Glean insights on conscious capitalism and ways food companies - and consumers - can be more sustainable, ethical, and just in their practices.
Peter Pappas, Chief Sales Officer, Vital Farms
Laura Howell, Chief Client Officer, CA Fortune

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

PRESENTATION - CONSUMER TRENDS AND PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE DEFINING CATEGORIES
Dive deep into COVID-19’s impact on category growth and explore the latest consumer trends and product attributes in the food industry.
Jessica Schmidt, VP Business Intelligence, CA Fortune
Brandon Casteel, VP Channel Sales, SPINS

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

PANEL - NAVIGATING THE NEW RETAIL LANDSCAPE
Explore the new retail landscape and some of the strategies that CPG brands can leverage to successfully get into retail, engage their audiences, and increase in-store purchases.
Jaime Frye, Chief Sales Officer, CA Fortune
Eric Braun, Sr. Director of Innovation, Retail Business Services
Patricia Courville, National Director of UpNext, UNFI
Hugh Holman, Co-Founder & CEO, Observa

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - BLENDING NATURAL AND CONVENTIONAL CHANNELS
Consumers are increasingly health-conscious, seeking better-for-you foods and beverages made with clean ingredients. What does this mean for new product innovation?
Laura Merritt, VP Marketing, New Ventures & Innovation, KIND
Will Grubb, Manager of Business Development & Investor Relationships, Nutrition Capital Network

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

BREAK - NETWORK AWAY!
Check out Hopin’s networking area to connect with fellow attendees. The system automatically pairs you up with someone else, guaranteeing serendipitous and fruitful connections.

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM

PRESENTATION - BEST OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE CUSTOMERS IN AN OMNICHANNEL WORLD
Dive deep into the omnichannel marketplace and learn ways you can efficiently engage your target consumers across a variety of channels.
Devon Snider, Director of E-Commerce, CA Fortune

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM

PANEL - CONSUMERS’ GROWING APPETITE FOR SHOPPABLE CONTENT
Learn about e-commerce strategies for brand growth and grasp key insights on how to engage your customers in every stage of their journey and across multiple channels.
Joy Tucci, SVP E-Commerce, CA Fortune
Cable Dill, Ahold Delhaize US Strategy Team Manager, Peapod Digital Labs
Jeff Grossman, VP Sales & Brand Development, YumEarth

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

PRESENTATION - BUILDING OUTSTANDING BRANDS FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS
How can entrepreneurs build brands that answer current consumer needs, engage their target audience, and strike in an omnichannel marketplace?
Stephen Gaither, Chief Marketing Officer, CA Fortune

2:30 PM - 3:15 PM

PANEL - BRINGING NEW PRODUCTS TO MARKET
Panelists share how they succeeded at finding their target audience, analyzing data and validating consumer needs, and translating their insights to investors.
Jeremy Halpern, Partner, Nutter Law
Loren Brill, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Sweet Loren’s
Carl Pennington, Co-Founder & President, Proud Source Water
Douglas Yu, Business Manager at Springdale Ventures & Contributor at Forbes

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM

BREAK - NETWORK AWAY!
Check out Hopin’s networking area to connect with fellow attendees. The system automatically pairs you up with someone else, guaranteeing serendipitous and fruitful connections.

3:45 PM - 4:30 PM

PANEL - CAPITALIZING ON THE WHITE SPACE IN THE FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
Delve deep into the world of product innovation with 3 entrepreneurs who successfully identified their niche and have been continuously growing their companies.
Gretchen VanEsselstyn, Director of Education, Specialty Food Association
Ahmad Yehya, President, Nabati Foods Inc
Rachel Moore, VP, Marketing, Clio Snacks
Christopher Hunter, Co-Founder & CEO, Koia

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT - HOW TO PIVOT YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS
Explore the inspirational journey of an artisanal brand that successfully pivoted its model and adapted it to the normal.
Meera Dhingra, VP / Co-Lead Transaction Advisory, Propeller Industries
Bill Deacon, Co-Founder & CEO, Eastern Standard Provisions

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

PANEL - INVESTING IN HIGH-GROWTH BRANDS DEFINING THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Panelists share their perspectives on how to identify high-growth at an early stage, revealing the various paths that entrepreneurs can undertake in their fundraising journey.
Mary Ellen Shoup, Senior Correspondent, FoodNavigator
Marcia Hooper, Co-Founder & Partner, Branch Venture Group
Gil Horsky, Director of Innovation Snack Futures, Mondelēz International
Will Lisman, Chief Commercial Officer, HumanCo

5:45 PM - 5:50 PM

CLOSING REMARKS
Lauren Abda, Founder of Branchfood and Co-Founder of Branch Venture Group