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When I walked into the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC last week, I had no idea that the 2024 Summer Fancy Food show would be so important to the U.S. government, something that could greatly benefit the organic industry.
Later on in the column, I will discuss my key trends, takeaways and highlights from both the 2024 Summer Fancy Food show and Good Food Mercantile, but starting off my coverage is what captivated me the most at the Javits Center.
PROSPER AFRICA
On the lower level of the Javits Center were over 120 companies from Africa, all of whom shared similar signage, indicating that they were there as part of a coordinated group. This, as I would soon learn, was the Africa Fine Foods pavilion, organized by Prosper Africa and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level, national security initiative that brings 17 different government agencies together to boost two-way trade and investment in Africa.
In partnership with USAID, an international development agency that advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, the Africa Fine Foods pavilion allowed African companies to exhibit at the Summer Fancy Food show to learn about opportunities in the U.S. and connect with U.S. buyers looking to diversify their supply chains.
With a few of our most powerful adversaries, especially China and Russia, heavily involved in Africa, Prosper Africa is leading U.S. efforts to counter that influence while creating jobs and business opportunities, at scale, for Americans and Africans. Evidence of this was the announcement of the United States – Africa Trade Desk’s first $56M trade deal for 700 containers (1,260,000 crates) of South African-grown table grapes to the U.S., benefiting American consumers and boosting U.S.-Africa trade.
As it relates to our industry, several of the brands in the Africa Fine Foods pavilion were organic or are in the process of obtaining organic certification.
Founded by Nana Achiaa Ankrah (above), who trained as a pharmacist, Arise Foods is an organic baby food company in Ghana that is currently sold in approximately 500 retail locations in her country, as well as in Kenya.
The brand sells five different types of porridge, made with ingredients such as millet, fonio, cocoa powder and a variety of different grains, and a percentage of all sales goes to CSR endeavors. Nana Achiaa Ankrah said that her goal is to be on U.S. shelves.
USAID funded her booth and is helping to pay for USDA organic certification.
Also in Ghana, Priscilla Asante (above) started Rosswood in 2015, with a focus on well-being, sustainability and gut health.
In her country, ONEYOGO, another brand of hers, is an industry leader in fresh yogurt, and at Fancy Food, she presented her Rosswood line of roasted cashews.
Priscilla told me that Prosper Africa and USAID have played a significant role in facilitating her growth and expansion abroad. They have helped with the financing of a processing plant in Ghana and in obtaining USDA organic certification, assisted with finding a warehouse in the U.S. and funded a traceability app, in addition to paying for her booth and travel costs to the show and securing a list of buyers.
“USAID has given me the mileage to be a global organic brand,” said Priscilla Asante.
The other company that I spoke with was Kentaste, which was started by Kyle Denning, an American who has been living in Kenya for more than two decades.
Kentaste sells coconut oil, chips, milk, cream and flour, and the brand can be found in approximately 1,000 retail locations in Kenya, as well as online at Amazon and Walmart in the United States. The company sources from approximately 4,000 small farmers, the majority of whom are certified organic and Fair for Life.
As Kyle Denning told me, USAID assisted in building up Kentaste’s capacity, with sourcing and production, and the organization helped find him market opportunities as well. Additionally, Prosper Africa and USAID played a critical role in bringing all of the African companies together at Fancy Food, which created a better story and provided more credibility with buyers and the press.
“We need partners on the buy-side in the U.S., and although we may be behind, there are huge market opportunities, especially for ingredient suppliers. Africa offers very serious competitive advantages, and it is similar to where Asia was 20 or 30 years ago,” said Kyle Denning.
With the U.S. government making Africa a strategic priority and spending real resources to build two-way trade, it is in our collective interest that these dollars are directed toward organic agriculture and organic entrepreneurs. Furthermore, given that the U.S. is a net importer of organic products, it will only benefit American consumers if we can further develop and strengthen organic supply chains in Africa.
For those of us who believe in the importance of organic playing a critical role in helping to feed and nourish the world, the United States — the global leader in organic — must advocate for it inside and outside of our borders. Needless to say, Prosper Africa and USAID’s support of empowering African organic food companies to export to the U.S. is very much needed and appreciated.
(Trade show booths in the Africa Fine Foods pavilion)
HYDRATION DRINKS
Whereas organic hydration powders were a trend at Expo West 2024, organic hydration drinks were a trend at the Fancy Food Show. Two that stood out were those from Kor and Recoup.
SALTS AND SEASONINGS
The salts and seasonings at both Fancy Food and Good Food Mercantile really made an impression, and below are a few of them.
SIMPLi sources its salt directly from a women-owned cooperative in Peru and is currently exploring the possibility of getting its salt blends Regenerative Organic Certified®. The salt is harvested by hand using traditional methods from centuries-old mines high up in the Sacred Valley of Peru to ensure ethical and environmentally-friendly extraction.
Founded in 1958 Spain and hand-harvested from a pristine nature preserve in Mallorca, Fleur de Sel d’Es Trenc is EU organic certified and was rated number one in quality worldwide by the German association Stiftung Warentest. It showed four fascinating varieties above (from, l. to r., Mediterranean, Kalamata Black Olive, Rose and Sri Lanka).
Simply Organic introduced two new organic finishing salts — Sea Lettuce and Hot — and through its Simply Organic Giving Fund, the company is helping to nourish millions of food insecure citizens in the United States and Canada.
Mountain Rose Herbs was sampling popcorn drizzled with its latest organic offerings — Everything Bagel Seasoning, Chili Lime Salt and Garlic & Herb Seasoning — and I could not stop eating them.
TRACEABILITY AND DIRECTLY SUPPORTING THE FARMERS
With traceability becoming a growing priority for many organic brands, the Nepal Tea Collective’s approach to this is next-level brilliant.
On its tea bag label, not only can you scan the QR code to trace where the tea leaves came from, but you also have the ability to tip the organic farmer who grew the tea leaves.
For the many people who understand the importance of supporting small organic farmers, this is a genius way to help support them financially and directly.
OPTIMAL WATER
VICUS water is made from 100% naturally alkaline spring water, but it is restructured by a process that harnesses the power of ozone to create water reshaped by quartz. In essence, it is creating an optimal crystal structure for the water molecules.
While many devices on the market claim to structure water, key to this whole equation is how long it stays structured, as water can become “unstructured” very quickly. VICUS claims that its water stays structured for three years.
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With gratitude, 
Max Goldberg, Founder |
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