Supply Side West was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 26^th and 27^th. The event included more than 1,400 exhibitors and over 17,000 people attended.  KeyLeaf’s Vice President of Global Sales and Business Development, Justin White, was on the expo floor and shared his thoughts on the event.    

‍

Current Trends:

There was so much to see there!   Some of the biggest trends that I took notice of were:

• The continuing demand for plant-based alternatives for oils, proteins, fats, and sweeteners.    
• The use of upcycling of various ingredients - to reduce waste, carbon footprint and cost!
• The leveraging of artificial intelligence to enhance traceability, quality and other areas of ingredient development.

‍

Re-discover Omega 3’s

With KeyLeaf working closely with several Omega 3 companies, I enjoyed visiting the Omega-3 resource center, organized by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED).  The area was a great resource for discussing key market issues and discovering trends and innovations.  I was impressed with the new developments in Omega 3’s, including the latest on Omega 3 encapsulated powders.      

Connecting with KeyLeaf Partners and Clients  

What makes attending these shows so valuable is the opportunity to connect with colleagues from all over the world.  I attended a dinner held by STEP (Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership) hosted by SVP Angela Krauss, which was a great opportunity to connect with Canadian colleagues.    

I also met with KeyLeaf / POS alumni, Drs. Rick Green and Udaya Wanasundara, to talk about trends and future opportunities.    

And this is not including all the additional connections I made on the trade show floor!

‍

See you next year!

There was so much to see and do.  Looking forward to next year’s event!