Food & Beverage Summit Speakers

Rave BBQ Rubs is a Saskatoon-based company crafting small-batch spice blends with bold flavour and clean ingredients. They use no added MSG and half the salt of leading brands so people can season generously without overpowering their food. There are rubs for everything from beef and chicken to fish, veggies and wild game.

What started in Travis’s backyard with one blend has grown into a lineup now carried in over 200 retailers and restaurants across Canada. Travis also works with businesses on private label and custom blends and has raised over $50,000 through community fundraising programs. At the end of the day, Rave is all about helping Canadians cook with confidence—one flavour-packed shake at a time.

Carter Bezan is a fourth-generation cattleman with deep roots in rural Saskatchewan and Manitoba. After almost three decades of ranching and raising high-quality beef, he turned his passion for local food into a mission. That mission started with Carzan Local Market—a small-town shop showcasing the best of Saskatchewan’s food producers—and evolved into Carzan Local Meats, a national brand known for clean-ingredient, grass-fed beef jerky. As a champion of regenerative ranching, Carter believes in healing the land while feeding people better. Through Carzan, he’s helping Canadians reconnect with where their food comes from—putting a face to the food, and a story behind every bite.

Peter Chapman not only understands the food industry, he has a passion for seeing others succeed. Peter’s experience includes the entire supply chain and retail merchandising. Starting at store level, he learned the importance of listening to consumers and the challenges of implementing strategies at retail. He went on to Canada’s largest food retailer, Loblaw’s, for nearly twenty years - expanding his knowledge working in various departments, including merchandising, marketing and advertising.

In 2007, Peter started a company to provide customized services to producers, processors and retailers across Canada. SKUFood works directly with producers and processors to help them understand their customers, the retailers. Peter is the author of A la cart, a supplier’s guide to retailers’ priorities and he was the national president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers in 2021. He has provided food industry insights to Canadian Grocer, The Globe & Mail, Maclean's magazine, Canada AM and he writes a monthly column in the Grower.

When Taylor was finishing her kinesiology classes at the University of Regina, her interest in wellness and entrepreneurship, along with an opportunity to join Good Spirit Kombucha, was a recipe for success. Over a few short years, she grew Good Spirit Kombucha from a side gig with friends to a commercial-scale brewing company. When she’s not in the brewery, you’ll find her spending time with her son and husband, doing DIY projects around the house or gardening.

Good Spirit Kombucha was founded on a love of whole foods and being a part of the local food community in 2017. Fruity, fizzy, and lightly tangy, kombucha is a delicious and natural alternative. They’re proud to have a business that is majority female owned and operated. Good Spirit Kombucha is brewed with purpose in the prairies and can be found throughout the province of Saskatchewan.

Austin Calladine is the Co-Founder and CMO of Sweet Nutrition, a Saskatchewan-based company redefining the better-for-you snack space with high-protein, zero-sugar cookies. With a background in hockey and a passion for entrepreneurship, Austin blends grit and creativity to scale Sweet Nutrition across national retail chains. He brings deep experience in CPG marketing, retail strategy and brand-building from the ground up.

April Glavine is the founder of Sum Good, a Canadian company pioneering all-natural, fruit-first hydrating electrolyte shots and freezies. Under her leadership, Sum Good has quickly established itself as an innovator in hydration. Sum Good is proudly known as the only all natural, ready-to-drink electrolyte shot in two formats.

April’s entrepreneurial journey is distinguished by national and international recognition. She represented Canada at the G7 and G20 Young Entrepreneur Summits, advocating for youth entrepreneurship on the global stage and contributing to policy discussions that shape the future of business. Her leadership and advocacy also led her to present to King Charles, further highlighting her influence in the international business community.

April’s achievements include being named one of the Top 100 Women with Natural Products Canada, earning the Rising Star of the Year award in 2022, and appearing on Season 18 of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, where she pitched Sum Good to a national audience. She was also a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2024 and holds Women Enterprise Diverse Supplier Certification, underscoring her commitment to diversity and excellence in business.

Kirk Homenick is an energetic leader in the food and beverage industry, known for transforming Naturally Homegrown Foods and its flagship brand, Hardbite Chips, into a Canadian success story. Since joining the company in 2011, Kirk has scaled the business by driving expanded retail partnerships, two plant relocations and an ever-evolving product lineup. What began with a team of eight has grown into a thriving workforce of over 100 employees.

An innovator at heart, Kirk isn’t afraid to push boundaries, introducing bold, natural flavours that stand out in a crowded snack aisle. His leadership has earned Hardbite shelf space in major retailers across Canada, U.S., Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. In 2024, he led the successful launch of Poptastic Popcorn, an authentic brand that is on trend as a convenient, craveable, and clean-ingredient salty snack.

Serene Martin brings over 25 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, including 19 years with Tree of Life, where she currently serves as Director of National Marketing and Business Development. In this role, she leads the company’s national marketing strategy and oversees all business development initiatives, driving growth for one of Canada's largest distributors.

Serene is deeply committed to nurturing emerging brands, leveraging her extensive industry knowledge to help early-stage companies succeed in a competitive market. Her career began in advertising at MacLaren Lintas, where she worked with major clients such as Molson Breweries, General Motors, Toys “R” Us, and the Royal Bank of Canada.

She holds a degree from the University of Western Ontario and a marketing diploma from Sheridan College.

Megan Menzel is a seasoned leader based in Regina, Saskatchewan. With nearly two decades at FCC, she currently heads the commercial and small business lending team across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Megan is known for forging impactful partnerships, creating meaningful connections across teams and industry, and reimagining business strategies to deliver lasting results. A passionate advocate for leadership development and mental health, she is dedicated to building a more connected, resilient agriculture and food ecosystem.

Tyler Morin, born and raised in Ile-a-la Crosse, Saskatchewan, earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. After spending three years as a business development specialist with the Clarence Campeau Development Fund (CCDF), he returned home to lead Sakitawak Development Corporation – Ile-a-la Crosse's business arm. He is also the CEO of the Ile-a-la Crosse Fish Company and holds several committee roles with NIFFC, NSEQC, Local Catch Canada and Prairie Food Link. In 2022, he received the Queen's Jubilee Medal.

Emily O’Brien is an entrepreneur and the Founder of Comeback Snacks—a specialty popcorn company that challenges the status quo. After being sentenced to a four-year federal prison term following her arrest at Pearson International Airport, Emily set out on a mission to transform herself and make her time in prison as meaningful as possible. Using her entrepreneurial pre-sentence background and experience, Emily birthed the idea for Comeback Snacks (formerly ‘Cons and Kernels’), a popcorn company that serves up bold and unique flavours alongside the even bolder mission of fighting the stigma surrounding those who have a criminal record. Her popcorn is now available in over 700 locations in Canada and the U.S.

Des Sobool is the Director, Economics and Deputy Chief Economist at FCC. His insights help support strategy and monitor risk throughout the corporation. In addition to acting as an FCC spokesperson on economic matters, Des provides commentary on the agri-food industry through economic reports and the FCC Economics blog.

Prior to joining FCC in 2006, Des was a professional research associate at the University of Saskatchewan. He was also a relationship manager at another financial institution. Des earned his master of agricultural economics degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 2005.

Eric Waterman is an executive with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, and management across multinational brands and SMEs. His expertise spans the CPG sector, including the food and beauty industries, with notable roles at L’Oréal and at Le Grand Power of Plants and now leads IC Canada’s agri-food sector. Eric’s leadership has driven significant sales growth, operational efficiency and international expansion. He holds an MBA from McGill University and is fluent in French and English. Board roles include CIBIM, Group Export Agri-Food and Mont X. An avid skier and cyclist, Eric is also involved in community and environmental initiatives.