CALGARY, CANADA – Last month, USA Rice attended the NEXT Food Expo, the newest business-to-business (B2B) trade show designed for professionals in Canada’s foodservice and hospitality space connecting partners throughout the foodservice supply chain through immersive exhibits, hands-on demos, and built-in networking experiences to shape what’s next in food.
USA Rice was there to engage with distributors, food manufacturers, chefs, and buyers in conversation around rice imports and global trade, and explore the opportunity for mutually beneficial partnerships to drive purchase and use of U.S.-grown rice in Canada.
As an official sponsor, USA Rice was prominently featured throughout the two-day event. On the Culinary Stage, USA Rice took the spotlight during two exciting cooking competitions: the Culinary Showdown and the Brunch Battle, where Canadian chefs showed off the versatility and adaptability of rice across different cuisines. U.S.-grown rice was included as a staple ingredient in the black box competitions, challenging chefs to create innovative, flavorful dishes in front of an audience. Competition hosts spoke about U.S.-grown rice over the course of the competitions and the Think Rice - U.S. Grown logo was prominently placed across all event stages.
USA Rice also tapped into the event’s immersive and innovative programming. In the Immersive Theatre, guests took a virtual step onto U.S. rice farms and into mills through the USA Rice Virtual Farm & Mill Tour, sparking conversations around availability of different varieties, sustainability, and farming traditions. In the Innovation Lab, chefs spotlighted rice as an adaptable ingredient in creative, trend-driven applications.
Beyond the show floor, USA Rice engaged with key industry leaders at the Monday Night Mixer, where dishes such as a Crispy Rice Yuzu Cone and Miso Chicken Poke Rice Bowl highlighted the quality and versatility of U.S.-grown rice.
“Activating across multiple touchpoints at the NEXT Food Expo, USA Rice was not only able to connect with regional and national partners about opportunities for collaboration but also reinforce its position as a trusted ingredient partner for Canadian foodservice and hospitality,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice senior director of international promotion for the Western Hemisphere.