After a standout edition in Toronto, SIAL Canada CEO Tony Melis reflects on three days of bold ideas, strong buyer engagement, and why the show is a launchpad for global growth
Tony Melis shares his key takeaways from this year’s show, discusses shifting industry dynamics, and offers a glimpse of what’s ahead for 2026 in Montreal.
What were your overall impressions of the show this year, and has it lived up to your expectations?
I think with Canada being the Country of Honour, it gave the show a different vibe this year. We put the spotlight on Canada, on Canadian excellence and what the Canadian market can produce from both sides—from buyers looking for Canadian products, but also buyers looking to diversify their sourcing. There was a feeling that people were eager to do business.
The feedback I’ve received from exhibitors has been that they had a lot of very interesting, engaging conversations. The quality of traffic was very good.
Ahead of the show there was some concern about how attendees would to react to the U.S., but we had no cancellations. We surveyed our exhibitors and they were clear that they absolutely wanted to meet American buyers, that they prefer to continue the dialogue. It’s still 300 million people that live next door. However, they were also looking to meet buyers from other countries as well. Whenever you experience a hurdle, it also creates opportunities. I think that’s the change in mindset I noticed for Canadian buyers and Canadian exhibitors, and I think the international exhibitors noticed it as well.
“Our mission is really clear: we’re looking to connect people, stimulate innovation, and create opportunities.”
At the SIAL Innovation Awards on the first day of the show you said that SIAL Canada is about “what’s new, what’s next and what’s possible.” Can you elaborate on this?
Our mission is really clear: we’re looking to connect people, stimulate innovation, and create opportunities. We’re stimulating innovation with the SIAL Innovation Awards and the Pitch Competition, that’s really the future of the industry. SIAL Canada is all about the latest trends, which encourages companies to dream bigger.
There’s a roadmap for a start-up to grow within the SIAL Network. You can start as a start-up, then the next year be an SME. You can grow to a certain size, then you can start exploring. Do you want to export to Europe? Do you want to export to Asia? We have a whole network you can feed into. It all starts with an idea and you have to have the courage to think outside the box, you have to have the energy and persistence to really believe in your product and go out there and sell it. Then you get picked up by a retailer, then you grow, and then anything is possible.
Were there any overriding trends that you noticed at the show this year?
There’s of course the trend that indulgence and good for you can go together. The upcycling of products is also important. I noticed cleaner labels with clearer ingredients, which translates into transparency for the consumer. There’s also a trend towards addressing specific segments of an audience, for example with the SIAL Innovation finalist Tea for Guys which offers specific benefits for men’s health. This could be applied to other segments as well. The story behind the product is increasingly important. If people buy the story, they’ll buy the product.
What are your goals for the future of SIAL Canada? Can you give us a sneak peek into some highlights for Montreal next year?
We are looking to expand. There is already a lot of interest in Montreal next year. We’ve had a lot of trade missions scoping out this year’s show to see if they’ll attend next year. There’s a couple of Latin American and Asian countries that will be new next year. We really feel that Canada is now on the radar of an increasing number of countries, they are seeing Canada as an opportunity. This is very positive. It looks like we’ll be sold out in Montreal and we are looking to accommodate extra space at the Palais des congrès.
Buyers at the heart of SIAL Canada
At SIAL Canada 2025, the Buyers Program once again demonstrated its strategic importance in fostering high-level connections and driving global business forward. This year, the show took a bold step to enhance the experience by consolidating all B2B meetings in a single dedicated space: the Buyers Lounge. Thanks to strengthened partnerships with OMAFA and MAPAQ, this central hub became the heart of international sourcing activity during the show.
The impact was substantial. Over 100 hand-selected national and international buyers participated in the official programs, engaging in nearly 1,000 curated meetings. Exhibitors and buyers came from 46 countries, reflecting the truly global nature of the program. The matchmaking process allowed for real-time business conversations on the show floor, with many of them translating into concrete commercial agreements.
SIAL Canada was proud to welcome key industry players such as Walmart, KeHE, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Williams Sonoma, Sobeys, Loblaw, Coleman Group, HEB, City Club, Grupo Piscimex, and Soriana. Their presence underscored the growing role of the show as a major sourcing destination in North America and beyond.
SIAL Canada’s mission remains the same: to connect exhibitors with high-quality, investment-ready buyers who are looking to build sustainable and long-term business relationships. The success rate speaks for itself: since 2023, two-thirds of meetings have led to sales, and the buyer satisfaction rate has remained at 100%.
By continuing to refine and strengthen the program year after year, organizers aim to keep SIAL Canada at the forefront of global agri-food trade, where meaningful encounters create lasting impact.