Food Edge Overview

Food Edge is Branchfood’s annual summit that fosters connection and collaboration between industry stakeholders across the food value chain. The Summit seeks to support industry networking, raise awareness about new innovations and products launching in market, and inspire us all to support a better future for food. Branchfood believes that together, we will lead the future of the industry, and we’re particularly excited to see New England based innovators take a leadership role in this change.  

This year, the Summit is poised to deliver even greater value, as we welcome leading speakers working in food e-commerce and digital advertising, supply chain, investment, and much more. If you’re a food and beverage entrepreneur, an industry stakeholder, or an angel investor, we invite you to join us at Food Edge 2020 to participate in three days of engaging content and myriad opportunities to network and build real connections in the food industry. 

The context

Branchfood, the founder of the Food Edge Summit, is the leading innovation hub for food industry stakeholders who seek to ensure a sustainable, self-sufficient future of food in New England. 

Branchfood facilitates the connections that catalyze innovation and improvement of our global food system by uniting the community of food entrepreneurs, industry professionals, students of food, and investors passionate about improving our food system for generations to come. Connections and collaboration are facilitated through our shared workspace for food businesses located in Downtown Boston which we launched 4 years ago with the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). Here, entrepreneurs and innovators are able to network and connect with the community who seek to collaborate and support their goals. Additionally we host events of all types that foster connection and shared resources for food business development. Lastly, we launched Branch Venture Group, a sister company to Branchfood, that fosters connection between angel investors and entrepreneurs seeking capital to fund the development of their businesses. 

This year, the food industry experienced unprecedented, and rapid change due to the unique pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic on our food system. Some trends, such as the rise in e-commerce food sales, ingenuity in food service automation, and the need for a more resilient supply chain, experienced accelerated growth. Others, such as the disruption and safety concerns in food processing facilities caused by COVID-19, are entirely new obstacles to overcome. Changes are becoming increasingly clear. Thought leaders and research firms are narrowing their focus and exploring new opportunities and challenges that 2020 has uncovered. But, where are the solutions?

Here in lies the opportunity that Food Edge 2020 seeks to explore. The Summit will leverage our network of experts to provide a clear understanding of the changes that unfolded this year and support future work. The conference will provide the food community with key insights to help adapt to the new normal. By highlighting opportunities for innovation that surfaced from this year’s challenges, we hope to continue fostering the development and evolution of our food system.

Food Edge 2020 Summit

Like many conferences this year, Food Edge 2020 is going digital for the first time. Our team carefully considered the best platforms for our webinars, panel discussions, and networking sessions to ensure a fulfilling experience for all attendees.

Additionally, we designed our agenda for the digital era and created a schedule spanning three half-days which include varied and engaging sessions. Each day will center around short, educational webinars to maximize learning, with easy-to-digest content and a specialized topic for each including: 

• Emerging Startups - for CPG and food- & agtech entrepreneurs

• Industry Trends - for industry professionals seeking insights

• Food Investment -  for angels and early-stage investors in the food & beverage space

And don’t worry, our signature emphasis on driving meaningful connections is still front and center. We will be leveraging the Remo platform to host diverse networking sessions and foster connectivity among the different players across the food value chain. We will be hosting networking sessions throughout the three-day summit. Check out our full agenda.

While going digital is a change from the Food Edge experience of years past, we are excited by the opportunity to broaden our reach in this new format. This year, attendees can connect from anywhere in the world, beyond the bounds of greater Boston and right from the comfort of their home. 

Learn even more about the 2020 digital summit.

The industry is changing. Challenges are increasing, but so are opportunities for innovation. But the community has answers, and we’re here to help. Register for Food Edge today and get ready to Learn, Connect, and Lead in the food industry’s new normal.