The 6th annual From The Ground Up Trade Show is a wrap! We hosted the first FTGU Trade Show in February 2019 at a small indoor event space with 36 innovative exhibitors. This year, we held the event at the PNE Forum with 76 incredible B.C. food and beverage brands and 200+ attendees, making this our largest, most well attended trade show yet.
We are thrilled to see the continued growth of From The Ground Up because it means that buyers and consumers are focusing on local first and more B.C. brands have access to multi-market channel success. From the bottom of our hearts and well-fed stomachs, thank you to the food producers and processors across B.C. who trust us and our event to showcase your products.
Thank you, as well, to our four new sponsors MNP, Fasken, WeBC, and LabelOne in addition to our loyal sponsors BCIT, Great Little Box Co., FCC, and BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Outstanding Product of the Year & Best Booth Winners
A huge congratulations to the 2024 From The Ground Up Trade Show winners:
- Hazel’s Ice Cream | Gold
- Koncious Foods | Silver
- Big Mountain Foods | Bronze
Hazel’s took home the new Best Booth award, too! Read a new blog post featuring Sam Vermeulen, owner of Hazel’s, as he reflects on two wins this year and a silver win at last year’s show.
Exhibitor Diversity
We like to share the statistics of who trade show exhibitors are because our goal is to always welcome and highlight the diversity of the local food landscape and the people who grow it. We love to see women continually leading the way in the B.C. food and beverage industry!
- 51 of the 76 brands were first-time FTGU exhibitors
- Exhibitors self-identified as:
- 47 women-owned or -operated businesses
- 27 BIPOC-owned or -operated businesses
- 15 newcomer- and/or immigrant-owned or -operated businesses
- 6 youth-owned or -operated businesses (under age 30)
- 4 social enterprise/social venture/not-for-profit organizations
- 2 LGBTQ2+ -owned or -operated businesses
We can’t wait to see who and what products the 7th annual trade show brings! Stay tuned for registration dates later in 2024. View the Trade Show Gallery.