Summer Fancy Food Show 2025: Women-owned Food Brands Served Bold Flavor and Big Purpose

At this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show, a new kind of brand leadership was witnessed at the Debut District in the River Pavilion which featured first-time exhibitors and startups. Among them were mission-driven, women-owned companies rewriting the rules of taste, transparency and sustainability.

These founders brought products, purpose, and in an industry still dominated by legacy players, their presence was not just welcomed, it was needed.

Let’s take a closer look at the standout women-owned and owmen-led brands who brought heart, heritage and hustle to the show floor – and why their stories matter more than ever.

Emkao Foods: From Cameroon to Chocolate Innovation

When Ayissi Nyemba launched Emkao Foods, she wasn’t just building a chocolate brand, she was creating a movement to transform the chocolate industry through sustainability and ethical sourcing. Inspired by her family’s cacao farm in Cameroon, Nyemba founded Emkao in Vancouver with one bold goal, which was to deliver single-origin cocoa that is as ethical as it is exquisite.

Every product, from nibs to bars to powder, is made with transparency in mind and without additives. Emkao empowers smallholder farmers and elevates the bean-to-bar process with a fresh, global lens. The brand’s upcoming facility in Binghamton, NY, marks a major step in scaling its impact across North America.

“Being at the Summer Fancy Food Show allowed Emkao Foods to share our story and connect with partners who believe in sustainable, traceable cocoa,” Nyemba said. “It reflects our mission to bring ethically sourced chocolate to the world.”

Hey!Hunger: Indian-Inspired and Nutrient-Dense

For Shireen Khera, food is personal. Her company, Hey!Hunger, was born out of her own health transformation and a desire to honor her mother’s nourishing, plant-forward cooking. Her signature Tikka Patties reinvent frozen meals with bold Indian flavors and ultra-clean ingredients such as legumes, seeds, nuts, and not a single filler, preservatives, or shortcuts

With a mission to nourish people and the planet, Hey!Hunger is committed to sustainability, community impact, and making it easy for busy families to enjoy convenient, flavorful, and deeply satisfying meals rooted in culture and care.

“We showcased bold, Indian-inspired flavors rooted in heritage,” Khera said. “We connected with buyers and distributors who value clean ingredients, cultural authenticity and sustainability, proving that good food can nourish both people and the planet.”

Spring & Mulberry: A Sweet Revolution Without Sugar

Kathryn Shah wants America to rethink sweetness. Her brand, Spring & Mulberry, crafts date-sweetened chocolate bars that go beyond indulgence—offering clean, organic, direct-trade cacao blended with vibrant ingredients like jammy dates, fruity, floral pollens, rich cacaos, and tangy spices. With no added sugar and no heavy metals, these bars are as pure as they are adventurous.
“Our goal is to transform America’s relationship with sugar,” Shah said. “Fancy Food is a powerful space to meet the buyers and thinkers shaping what’s next in food. We've also found that Fancy Food is an opportunity to gather with fellow founders and share our chocolate with writers, trendsetters, and food scientists shaping the future of food."

Celia Chocolatier: Purposeful Indulgence, Engineered by Sisters

When two UC Berkeley engineers turned chocolate makers, the result was Celia Chocolatier—a brand that brings science and soul to indulgence. Rhonda Nassar and her sister use 70% single-origin Ecuadorian cacao, sweetened only with coconut sugar and no preservatives. Now in 200+ stores and growing, the brand is launching a new snack line crafted with the same values.

“Exhibiting at the Summer Fancy Food Show was a milestone,” said co-founder Nassar. “We connected with retailers and food lovers who shared our vision and loved our chocolate, while proudly celebrating our co-founder’s Maker Prep graduation—affirming our role in mindful snacking’s future.”

Sababa Foods: Middle Eastern Flavor, Modern Mission

Amy Dell, a working mom and daughter of a chef, created Sababa Foods to bring authentic Middle Eastern flavor to busy kitchens. Her debut product, Saturday Sauce, launched just six months ago. A tomato-based sauce made with clean ingredients — including select organics chosen with the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen in mind, and rooted in cultural heritage, it’s designed to help health-conscious home cooks create rich, satisfying meals with ease.

“This event embodied our mission to share bold, authentic flavors, build community through food, and grow with intention,” Dell shared. “Sababa means ‘it’s all good’—and that’s how we want people to feel in their kitchens during meal preparation.”

Papa’s Kitchen: Dressing With Heart

What started with a single bottle of Pink Greek™ dressing became Papa’s Kitchen, a women-owned, Michigan-made brand turning everyday meals into memorable moments. Christina Kalfaian’s dressings and marinades are gluten-free, packed with flavor, and crafted with family-driven purpose. Whether tossed over greens or used to marinate meats, every bottle comes with a promise, a flavor that connects.

“We’re not just selling dressings, we’re serving up memories and moment,” Kalfaian said. “Every sample, every story, every conversation here reminds us that flavor is powerful. This event is a reflection of why we started Papa’s Kitchen—to share food that connects people.”

FROST Buttercream: Baking Joy, Without the Hassle

Founders Liv and Dawn Truesdell built FROST Buttercream to fill a gap in the sleepy store-bought frosting market with all-natural, lower-sugar buttercream that tastes like a bakery but comes from a jar. The mother-daughter duo believes in making it easier for families to bake, and celebrate, without compromise.

“This show was a sweet opportunity to spread joy,” said Liv. “Our goal is to bring joy back to baking with a gourmet frosting shortcut to bakery-quality, made with real, all-natural ingredients & less sugar, so you can spend less time prepping and more time celebrating.”

Chef Poppin: A New Twist on Popcorn

Popcorn may be a snack aisle staple but Chef Poppin makes sure it’s anything but boring. Known for bold, Asian-inspired flavors like Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea, Matcha and Truffle, this women-led, gourmet brand reinvents snacking with premium, clean ingredients and non-GMO mushroom corn. Chef Poppin is more than a snack. It’s a flavorful statement about culture, joy, and culinary curiosity.

“Being at this event is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do," said Lauren Montalbo, Senior Sales Manager of Chef Poppin. "It’s about creating connections through food, and showing that snacks can be both innovative and deeply rooted in cultural inspiration.”

Women entrepreneurs are driving a shift in consumer values and reshaping what belongs on store shelves.