Celebrate 10. Next 10.
About this Event
CELEBRATE 10: THE NEXT 10
Build Smarter. Expand with Intention. Think Bigger.
For 10 years, Food Island Partnership has worked alongside Prince Edward Island food and beverage businesses as they launched products, entered markets, built brands and grew.
Now we're looking forward.
Celebrate 10: The Next 10 is a one-day growth conference for PEI food and beverage entrepreneurs, leaders and partners who want to build stronger companies and make smarter decisions about what comes next.
This isn't a conference about doing more.
It's about knowing where to focus, where to grow and how to build a business that's ready for opportunity.
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CONFERENCE AGENDA
9:00 AM | Welcome to The Next 10
We open the day by celebrating 10 years of Island food-sector growth and setting our sights on the decade ahead with FIP Board Chair ,Cindy Dockendorff.
Opening Remarks
- Senator Mary Robinson
The question we'll explore throughout the day:
What will it take for PEI food and beverage businesses to compete, innovate and grow over the next 10 years?
9:20 AM | Where PEI Must Win Next
State of the Island Economy with David Campbell
Before you can plan for growth, you need to understand what's changing around you.
David Campbell will bring the data into focus and explore what economic, demographic and competitive trends mean for PEI businesses.
Topics include:
- PEI's economic outlook
- Export growth and market diversification
- Labour and demographic realities
- Productivity and competitiveness
- Where SMEs need to focus to succeed over the next decade
10:00 AM | AI Without the Hype
What SMEs Really Need to Know
AI is everywhere.
But where can it actually make a difference in your business?
This practical panel brings together businesses using AI to solve real problems and create new opportunities.
Panelists include:
- Colin Rayner, Kildare Fisheries
- Chad Mooney, AgromAI
Facilitator: David McNally, Founder Agyle Intelligence
We'll explore:
- Where AI can save businesses time and money
- Marketing and customer engagement
- Productivity and operations
- Practical tools SMEs can start using
- What has worked and what hasn't
- What these entrepreneurs wish they had known when they started
10:45 AM | Break
Recharge, connect and continue the conversation.
11:00 AM | Make More. Waste Less. Grow MarginsPractical Productivity
Speaker: Michael Good, Food Island Partnership
Sustainable growth rarely comes from one giant move.
It comes from making consistent, practical improvements across the business.
Start with one issue. Measure it. Test one solution. Track the result. Make the improvement stick. Then move on to the next opportunity.
This session introduces FIP’s new Practical Productivity Toolkit, designed to help PEI food and beverage companies identify opportunities to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and build a stronger foundation for growth.
You’ll leave with practical tools to help your company:
- Identify opportunities for improvement
- Streamline operations and reduce inefficiencies
- Strengthen productivity
- Build capacity
- Prepare for sustainable growth
11:30 AM | Expand with Intention
A Smarter Approach to Market Expansion
Speakers: Mitch Cobb & Deborah Coleman, Co-Pilot CPG
Growth isn't simply about getting into more stores or entering more markets.
Sustainable growth comes from knowing where to expand, why that market makes sense and how to turn opportunity into profitable, repeatable sales.
Drawing on their experience building and scaling consumer brands, Co-Pilot CPG co-founders Mitch Cobb and Deborah Coleman will share a practical framework for approaching market expansion with greater clarity and discipline.
This session will explore:
- How to identify the right markets and channels
- What needs to be in place before expanding
- The key decisions brands need to make at each stage
- Common mistakes that drain resources or derail momentum
- Balancing ambition with operational and financial readiness
- Turning new distribution opportunities into sustainable sales
The takeaway: Growth for growth's sake can be expensive. Strong companies expand with intention.
12:00 PM | Networking Lunch
Your Next Opportunity May Already Be in the Room
Connect with entrepreneurs, industry leaders, funders, partners and potential collaborators from across PEI's food ecosystem.
12:45 PM | From Allergy Mom to National Brand
Lessons from Growing Nutracelle into a National Retail Brand
Melanie Wildman, Founder, Nutracelle / Nutramin
Melanie Wildman started with a problem she needed to solve for her own family.
That personal mission became a multi-million-dollar, award-winning consumer brand.
Today, Nutramin products are sold through major retailers and rank among Amazon's top-selling vitamins across North America.
Melanie will share the lessons behind the growth:
- Turning a personal mission into a compelling brand
- Product development and positioning
- Building consumer trust
- Entering major retail
- Growing through digital channels
- What founders need to know before scaling beyond their home market
1:30 PM | Right Channel. Right Time.
Not Every Growth Opportunity Is the Right Opportunity
Retail. Foodservice. Ingredients. Export. E-commerce.
The goal isn't to be everywhere.
It's to choose the right channel at the right time.
Panelists:
- Peter McLaughlin, President Anne of Green Gables Chocolates
- Jillian Duinkerken, CEO Duinkerken Foods
- Ken Smith, CEO ADL
- Crystal Cobb, Senior Vice Presdient of Operations at Nature's Crops
The conversation:
- Knowing when you're ready to move beyond PEI
- Choosing the right route to market
- Lessons learned from expansion
- Operational realities behind growth
- What founders wish they had known sooner
2:15 PM | Think Bigger. Build Smarter.
Fireside Chat with Arlene Dickinson
What makes a business truly ready to grow?
And what makes an entrepreneur — and their company — investable?
Entrepreneur, investor and Dragons' Den star Arlene Dickinson joins us for a candid conversation about ambition, discipline and building companies capable of sustainable growth.
We'll explore:
- What investors look for
- Building an investable company
- Growth mindset
- Scaling with discipline
- Resilience and leadership
- Thinking beyond your home market
- Staying rooted in purpose while building something bigger
Presented by FCC
3:00 PM | Strategic Connections
The most valuable conversation of the day might happen after the session ends.
Use this time to connect with the buyer, partner, funder, advisor or entrepreneur who could help unlock your next opportunity.
4:00 PM | Celebrate 10 Awards + The Next 10
We close the day by recognizing businesses helping move PEI's food economy forward and looking ahead to what's next.
Celebrate 10 Awards
Breakthrough Brand
Building brands consumers remember.
Shelf-to-Scale
Growing from local success to commercial impact.
Product Innovation
Creating the next great PEI food product.
Operational Excellence
Driving performance through continuous improvement.
Then we turn our attention to The Next 10 the priorities, partnerships and opportunities that can help PEI food businesses compete, commercialize and grow over the decade ahead.
Ten years built the foundation.
The Next 10 is about what we build from it.
Celebrate 10: The Next 10
Presented by Food Island Partnership
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Farm Credit Canada. Supporting Sponsors Agyle Intelligence, Canada's Food Innovation Network, ADL, and Dalmac thanks for their sponsorship
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 75.83 to CAD 97.13
