TORONTO, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The year’s most anticipated foodservice and hospitality expo, RC Show 2024, held at Toronto's Enercare Centre from April 8-10, has officially released its list of new and noteworthy products aimed to address industry challenges, help the industry take things to the next level, and answer the needs of consumer’s growing food and beverage demands.
There has been a lot of change coming from the industry over the past few years and it’s finally time to look ahead at what’s next. From brands that are prioritizing ingredient transparency, to those integrating sustainable practices in every aspect of their business, to AI-powered personalization and much more, this year’s innovative product round up is taking things to the next level with one major commonality - helping businesses ‘LEVEL UP’ their game.
Here are some of this year's show finds:
REVENUE SOLUTIONS
Hospitality experts since 2001, The Fifteen Group has helped more than 1,000 clients improve their profitability. They believe that a well-run restaurant should be able to make 15% profit, so much so that their whole company is named after that target. With a team of the industry’s best personnel, they have experts with over 200 years of combined experience in all aspects of successful restaurant operations and new openings.
Unlock value from surplus food. Too Good To Go offers businesses an opportunity to find new customers, increase foot traffic, engage with new customers, reach new demographics and generate marketing opportunities. All of this while reducing environmental effects of food waste, tackling waste at a new point in the supply chain and engaging staff and community members with a sustainable initiative. You can also generate revenue from food waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Finding a one-stop solution is important for businesses looking to streamline processes and maximize efficiency. Atlas serves as a hub that connects all systems for businesses, automates manual tasks and provides timely recommendations for optimizing cost of labour, cost of goods sold, tip management and distribution, as well as the overall operation of your business.
Notch is a software platform built for the entire food and beverage industry–from manufacturers and farmers to distributors and food service providers. With Notch, companies can increase on-time payments and improve cash flow, get competitive payment processing rates, reduce manual data entry and improve accuracy, and integrate with their existing systems – finding untapped profits in their payment supply chain.
TECHNOLOGY, TOOLS + EQUIPMENT
Since 2010, KEENON Robotics, driven by its slogan "Keen on robots, keen on the future," has led the robotics sector. With a comprehensive range including advertising, delivery, hotel, and the latest addition, cleaning robots, they cater to diverse commercial needs. Rapid growth in Canada reflects the continual pursuit of efficiency and profitability in businesses. The debut of their new all-in-one model, Dinerbot T10, at this year's RC Show, presents an ideal option for those seeking to enhance the customer experience.
Meet The Oliver Fleet. Introducing cooking automation to give your kitchen operations a flexible, compact, and versatile solution. The Oliver Fleet has the capability to dispense ingredients, manage cooking temperatures, as well as mix and stir when required, providing your kitchen with an autonomous cooking solution.
CookUP (a division of Food Supplies) is a supplier of high-quality kitchenwares bringing AMT, “The world’s best pan”, according to VKD, largest German Chefs Association to Canada. These premium pans produce even heat distribution for perfect cooking results. Featuring revolutionary Lotan® coating for a non-stick cooking experience. Available in both induction and non-induction options.
Elevate, not replace. Revolutionizing commercial kitchens, Gastronomous is liberating people to do what they do best, developing a network of interconnected smart appliances to create the world’s first fully autonomous kitchen. Their newest innovation includes a hamburger robot that reduces labour and energy costs, enhances food safety, reduces waste and food-cost variance, and maximizes efficiency.
Ufrost is on a mission to bring about a mixology and gastronomy revolution. Unveiling the Ufrost PRO, a unique drink system enabling you to create that wow effect and differentiate yourself in the cocktail and gastronomy industry. Robust, compact and fast to use, Ufrost PRO’s new freezing technology transforms your cocktails by freezing spirits, syrups and other liquids in just one minute. Take your creativity to the next level with Ufrost PRO.
Diversey Canada Inc. has been a pivotal player in increasing operational efficiency for the industry and that continues in 2024. Their new ServiceNow self-service portal offers virtual help to get customers back to business in minutes, and they recently announced that they will be introducing the Diversey Suma Dish, a pot and pan detergent that delivers superior grease-cutting performance suitable for food processing establishments.
Introducing the MEIKO bottle washing system with advanced technology that balances absolute cleanliness and safety with optimal energy and water conservation. As more high-end hotels, restaurants and more shift to eco-friendly measures instead of single-use plastics, the need for an efficient, hygienic way to wash reusable bottles has intensified. For years MEIKO has been dedicated to designing environmentally responsible warewashing equipment, and now they’re growing their sustainable product line with a professional cleaning solution for reusable bottles.
SUSTAINABILITY
An industry leader of environmentally friendly, on-site food waste, Power Knot's LFC Biodigester is a machine that eats most types of food waste converting it to a drain-safe substance with no bad odours, diverting tons of methane-producing waste from landfills within 24 hours. This unit significantly reduces the carbon footprint of businesses and payback is typically within 6 to 24 months.
Rejuvenate by Planta Form is the world’s first smart indoor garden using fog to grow plants. The future of sustainable dining Rejuvenate is energy-efficient, requiring minimal power, similar to a standard light bulb, ensuring low energy costs. Water refills are only needed every 2-3 weeks, and plants are kept healthy, ensuring hassle-free maintenance and peace of mind in the kitchen.
Still Good is one of the pioneers of Ecovaluation™ and will be featured in this year’s Québec Pavilion. Their company provides solutions to food waste by rescuing co-products that would normally be thrown away, to transform them into new ingredients and nutritious snacks. Still Good integrates new materials such as spent grain, sunflower meal, coffee chaff and bakery bread residues into new products that have never been created before.
Navigating Canada’s nationwide single-use plastic ban Gordon Food Services' Re.Source offers a toolkit to find disposables that don’t harm the environment … or your business. They have planet-friendly options with foodservice in mind. Their lineup of Re.Source products are expanding and changing all the time. For example, the Re.Source molded fiber items are transitioning into “no intentionally added PFAS" (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances used in waterproofing).
“From source to sip,” Tractor Beverages has been on a mission to create a cleaner, healthier planet one drink at a time. The company recently announced the launch of its Organic Impact Tracker – a sustainability impact tracker developed to quantify the benefit of sourcing organic ingredients versus their conventional counterparts. Tractor is the first beverage brand to track and disclose impact data about its ingredients, supporting the company’s commitment to transparency and sustainable sourcing and responding to consumer demand for clean ingredients and environmental responsibility.
Introducing SOFi, the first-ever cold and hot cups that do it all. Biodegradable, plastic-free, compostable, long-lasting and spill-proof. Designed with four flaps that fold to form a built-in lid, SOFi eliminates the need to purchase a separate lid. This unlocks major cost and space savings from cargo to countertop.
Sit on this, BUM Commercial Furniture’s ReClips Arm Chair. Inspired by midcentury designs, this stackable armchair has non-slip feet, a powder-coated aluminum frame, comes in four colours, and the best part, it is made from 97% recycled plastic household trash!
FOOD & BEVERAGE
There's a new alt-milk in town! Introducing Sproud Barista by Gerhards Canada, a plant-based, milk alternative that tastes like milk, but is powered by peas. Grown and made in Canada, this substitute has 75% fewer carbs than oat milk, 50% less sugar than dairy, is lightly sweetened with Agave and is non-GMO & SUGARWISE certified, for health-conscious customers. Plus, it contains 5 grams of protein per serving and uses up to 80% less water than almonds to produce, creating a 75% lower carbon footprint.
The foodservice industry remains focused on sustainability and a circular economy. Plant-based products on menus have become of the utmost importance for discerning dinners, in particular plant-based seafood. WOOP4 offers plant-based, allergy-friendly faux fish with a sea of benefits, including an excellent source of vegetable protein and Omega-3, with numerous nutritional benefits.
As plant-based protein menu options continue to become a staple in the Canadian foodservice industry with 44% menu penetration, it’s about time some of the country’s most craved comfort foods go plant-based. Coated in a light golden tempura batter, Gardein® Plant-Based Golden F’sh Filets are an amazing alternative catch for fish and chip lovers. These plant-based f’sh filets contain Omega-3s, and have no cholesterol.
Bison has become a healthy and natural alternative for red meat lovers and is being featured on more menus across the country and through distributors such as Northfork Bison and Rangeland Bison. The return of bison is seen as a symbol of reconciliation and renewal, as well as honours and revitalizes Indigenous traditions, while providing a delicious alternative. You can sample a bison dish by Chef Jenni Lessard, Interim Executive Director of Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations, in the Indigenous Pavilion, RC Pop Up Experience, Food Truck Experience and at Breakfast with Champions.
Beyond Meat®, a leading plant-based protein company, will be debuting Beyond Steak® for the first time at RC Show. Designed to deliver the juicy, tender & delicious bite of seared steak tips, Beyond Steak® is made from clean, simple ingredients and has 21g of protein per serving, is low in saturated fat and has no GMOs, cholesterol or added hormones and antibiotics.
Billio is a Canadian food company founded and developed by women entrepreneurs. They created plant-based alternative drinks and frozen treats that prioritize simple ingredients, while providing unparalleled taste that combines the creaminess of dairy with the goodness of plants.
Coming soon, the Miski Ancestral Belgian 6.2%, a quinoa beer that is the first fully certified gluten-free beer in the world that is 100% Peruvian-quinoa based. It is also certified organic, vegan and kosher, and is keto-friendly too. Miski Ancestral quinoa beer is proudly made in Ontario in a gluten-free dedicated facility.
With five generations behind them creating unique products and amazing flavours, Giffard Syrups will be launching their newest non-alcoholic syrups at RC Show (Elderflower, Grapefruit, Pineapple and Ginger). Designed to elevate the bar mixology game and sober-curious movement, Giffard’s alcohol-free liqueurs are inspired by its range of liqueurs and the shrub technique. Giffard has developed a new range in which fruits and plants are macerated in wine vinegar. The result is an alcohol-free liqueur range with great aromatic richness which brings complexity, length in the mouth and a real added value to cocktails.
You will find more of these innovative products and solutions all under one roof at RC Show 2024, taking place April 8-10, where the industry will come together, be inspired and learn how to LEVEL UP!
For more information on this year’s event, visit www.rcshow.com.
Get your questions answered and follow the conversation on social at #RCShow @RestaurantsCanada
-- 30 --
Media Contacts:
Lisa Raffaele │ 647.896.0743 │ lisa@bubblegumcanada.com
Katherine Doak│ 647.465.4605 │katherine@bubblegumcanada.com
About RC Show – since 1944
Canada’s leading hospitality and foodservice event showcasing cutting-edge products, pioneering people and transformative ideas. Attendees can shop, taste, learn, connect and grow their business with three days of business-building action, including featured areas, competitions, workshops and RC Hospitality Week events tailored to educate, motivate and lead our industry. RC Show includes the latest trends, a dynamic selection of innovative products, and influential speakers assembled from around the globe, designed to help operators grow their businesses. An annual event not to be missed. Learn more at www.rcshow.com
About Restaurants Canada
Since 1944, Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit member-based trade association advancing the potential of Canada’s diverse and dynamic foodservice industry through member programs, research, advocacy, resources and events. Canada’s foodservice sector is a $95 billion industry, directly employing 1.2 million people, providing Canada’s number one source of first jobs and serving 22 million customers across the country every day.
