FOOD FORWARD: Innovate. Scale. Succeed.

FOOD FORWARD: INNOVATE. SCALE. SUCCEED.

📍 Rodd Charlottetown, 75 Kent Street, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 1N1

🗓️ Date Nov 20, 2025, 8:30am-3:00pm

🗓️ AGENDA OVERVIEW

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration + Coffee

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Welcome Address

9:15 AM – 10:15 AM | Upcoming Market Trends| Mintel Business Analyst

Future of Food – Mintel Market Trends & Consumer Insights

What’s next in plant-based, clean label, global flavors, functional food, and convenience? Gain cutting-edge insights to drive innovation in your business.

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | Robert Newcombe | AI First Consulting

AI for Every Business: Demystifying Tools That Save Time and Fuel Growth.

Whether you’re just starting out or running a multi-million-dollar company, this session will demystify AI and show you how to put it to work in your business. Robert will share a clear framework for spotting automation opportunities in everyday workflows, highlight real-world case studies, and provide a practical “starter pack” of tools to help streamline operations, cut administrative burden, and free up resources for growth. The session combines tactical insights with interactive Q&A so participants leave equipped with concrete steps to implement AI immediately fueling innovation, efficiency, and scale.

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Tom Collver | Co-Founder pb+j

Margins, Metrics, and Tattoos: How Direct to Customer Delivers at Scale

Scaling in retail today can feel like juggling chainsaws on a unicycle while blindfolded: terrifying, chaotic, and one slip away from a very awkward headline. Shelf space is shrinking, competition is heavy, margins are thinning, and customer loyalty can vanish faster than free samples at Costco.

Enter DTC. Done right, Direct-to-Consumer gives your brand superpowers: real data you own, 1:1 connections that build brand affinity, instant feedback loops that validate products before they flop, a backstage pass to your customers’ brains, and the agility to test, tweak, and scale faster than your competitors can finish arguing over end-cap placements. It’s how retailers stop being just another logo in aisle seven and start owning their story, protecting margins, and reducing dependence on retail gatekeepers.

TL;DR: Scale is about more than revenue. It’s about data, control, loyalty, innovation, and resilience. DTC is not just another sales channel—it’s a long-term strategic asset that turns transactions into relationships, customers into loyal fans, and products into brands people want tattooed on their arms (please don’t, but you get the point).

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch & Connect (lunch provided)

1:30-2:30 PM | Mike Fata | 3x9 Figure CPG Exits & Best Selling Author of GROW

From Startup Struggles to 9-Figure Exits: Building Investible Food Brands

From struggling entrepreneur to multiple nine-figure exits, Mike Fata knows what it takes to turn food brands into global sensations. In this powerful session, he reveals how he overcame personal adversities and went on to co-found and grow Manitoba Harvest into a $100 million+ revenue enterprise, ultimately selling it for $419 million.

In this candid and practical session, Mike shares what it really takes to scale and to be seen as investible by investors, partners, and customers alike. He’ll break down the essential ingredients of building trust in your brand, navigating challenges, and designing a company that attracts capital and creates lasting value.

Now, Mike is building a portfolio of world-class companies and unstoppable entrepreneurs as an investor, advisor, and growth coach, bringing the same insights that powered his success to help the next generation of food leaders thrive. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies and inspiration to take their own scaling journey to the next level.

2:30 PM– 2:45 PM Session Wrap Up & Next Steps

2:45 PM- 3:30 PM Networking (Optional)

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