Industry leaders gathered at the Maplewood Country Club on Sept. 25 for the 2025 Food & Beverage Forum, hosted by Forvis Mazars, to discuss the global influences reshaping the marketplace and their impact on strategy, innovation and growth.
“We’re talking about global brands. What kind of trends they’re seeing, how they’re connecting those trends to other trends in the market that’s outside of just an ethnic brand … and how they’re rebranding and reshaping,” said Kristen Walters, partner at Forvis Mazars.
The forum featured networking, keynote presentations, a panel discussion and a showcase of emerging food and beverage companies. Attendees also voted for their favorite among the featured brands.
Panelist Andy Unanue, managing partner at AUA Private Equity Partners, said he hoped to highlight the challenges facing family-owned businesses.
“Just what the tariff impact is on the family-owned businesses, how families are coping with the ups and downs of the market and the uncertainty. And then talking about international and multicultural foods, and how families and these food companies are targeting those cultures as they immigrate to the country,” Unanue said.
Emerging companies included Pure Indian Foods, a curated Asian and Indian grocery line; Fool Proof, an artisan cocktail mix; Aaji’s, a family-recipe tomato lonsa; Waza Waza, a globally inspired dip brand; and Orka Bar, a high-protein ice cream bar.
“Small brands really make some unique products,” said Fool Proof founder and president Michael Larkin. “You can find some really cool things that are made really premium and with good ingredients.”
Stephen Longo, founder and CEO of Orka Bar, said he hoped attendees left with an appreciation for fresh ideas from smaller companies. “I would hope the main thing people take away is finding innovations in food from a lot of the vendors that are here today. And finding a way to, if they can’t already, empathize with an early stages position, and trying to bring something new and innovative to each and every one of our categories.”
Event sponsors included JPMorgan Chase, Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, Silvergrove Advisors, ADP and HUB International.
