As I headed into the first day of SIAL, I wondered what I might write about. Now, sitting down to review my notes and photos of the day, I have so many things to share. I decided to organized today’s comments around a few themes.
First, a bit about SIAL Toronto. It’s a trade show for the Agri-Food sector. So, food manufacturers, suppliers, processors, packagers, sellers, promoters, financiers, insurers, trade groups, and trade reps are all included. They are there to show off their products and ideas, to learn about trends and innovations, to compete (more on that later), and to network. Tony Melis, CEO SIAL Canada describes the show as being about: What’s new, What’s next, and What’s possible.
Every Booth Tells a Story
You know the old saying: you eat with your eyes first. Well, the booth designers have taken that adage to heart and they’ve added a whopping dash of colour and creativity to create booths that are nearly impossible to walk past.
Here are a few I found particularly eye catching:
Saleh The Good Farm – this company is based in Egypt – they sell frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Honestly – doesn’t this just inspire you to plan a summer dinner al fresco for your family and friends?
Magpie Pizza Artisanale – I snapped this picture before they were fully set up. I don’t think they’d mind – it looks like they just pulled up to a piazza in Rome in their cute little Vespa. You have to think they’d just say, “Come back later for a slice and a lemon soda!”
Fruit&Veg from Europe – trade delegations and associations also sponsor booths. This one is practically a café – complete with a chef doing demonstrations throughout the day. (This was early as they were getting their ingredients – fruits and vegetables – together.)
Smoke & Tears – this booth was in the SIAL Start-up section, which is for businesses in their first six years. This Canadian company makes premium hot sauce. If you look closely in the upper right-hand corner, you can see smoke rising from above the stack of products. Clearly, they take their brand to heart!
Innovation and the Innovation Awards
Among the different competitions at SIAL Canada 2025 is the SIAL Innovation competition. It showcases forward-thinking products in the food and beverage industry. The competition introduces products that reflect emerging trends and that add value to consumers and businesses. An independent jury of international experts evaluates the products based on things like: recipe and composition, packaging, market positioning, and manufacturing processes.
Before the winners were announced we got a sneak peak of the 10 finalists. Among them was a cheese from Quebec that is made from milk from cows that eat only organic grass. The packaging tells the provenance of the nine farms where the cows graze. The idea being that more and more consumers want to know about the sources of their food – from a sustainability and nourishment point of view.
Another of the finalists was a product called Tea for Guys. This product is a response to the recent trend of having teas specifically designed for women, for example, teas marketed as being good for those in menopause. Tea for Guys has blends for vitality, energy, and fasting.
The Innovation Award Winners
The packaging award went to Floating Leaf for their Rice Box. This Manitoba company has been in the wild rice business since 1935. They created a clever package that lies flat but that when you open it up to add water it’s a funky hexagonal bowl. The shape of the package makes it easy to ship and merchandise. They wanted to create a healthier alternative to products like ramen cups and they found a great way of packaging it.
The bronze award went to Case Muraca Co. for their tomato flour. This is a fascinating story. This Italian company came up with a way to use the skin from the tomatoes they would otherwise discard in the manufacturing of their tomato sauce. They upcycle the tomato skins and grind them into a flour that can be used for bread.
The silver award went to La Brasserie San-O Sake for its Amazake Cocoa spread. This spread is made using a Japanese fermentation and so it has less sugar and fat than a traditional cocoa spread.
The gold award went to Buttery- Flavoured Amelina Oil. This product is made from virgin camelina oil that is rich in Omega 3 and vitamin E.
A Particularly Clever Idea
This post is getting long, but I have to share one really cute “packaging” idea. How about a charcuterie cup? There was a European trade group demonstration of how to put together an attractive, tasty charcuterie board. As they were describing it, they passed out samples of the products they were including on the board. The samples were put together in these cute cups. They were easy to carry around and nibble from. Brilliant AND delicious!!
Great blog!
This sounds like a well organized event – for example having the award winners already selected on the first day so so that they can be highlighted.
The tomato flour – that really excites me.
The charcuterie cups – that idea was borrowed from Spain, where they have been doing that for years.
SIAL is huge and very well organized. Vendors from around the world — it’s quite something.
Yes, the tomato flour idea appeals to me too… imagine focaccia with it!!
Interesting that the charcuterie cups have been around — they were new to me. And yes, the folks behind the demo were from Spain, so perhaps others weren’t as surprised as me! Anyway — it’s a fun idea I plan on copying for summer BBQs and picnics.