Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)

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Established in 1877, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) promotes the economic growth and development of Virginia agriculture, provides consumer protection, and encourages environmental stewardship.

 

The agency is headquartered in Richmond and has several field offices, four regional diagnostic animal health laboratories and a global network of representatives promoting Virginia products internationally.
 

• Commissioner's Office

• Division of Animal & Food Industry Services

• Division of Commodity Services

• Division of Consumer Protection

• Division of Marketing & Development

VDAC - Office of Domestic Marketing & Promotions

 

The Office of Domestic Marketing and Promotions under the Marketing and Development Division of VDACS assists Virginia's agricultural producers and processors market their products throughout the United States and Eastern Canada.

 

One of the ways they do that is with the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo which connects industry buyers with Virginia specialty food and beverage products. The trade event takes place once every two years to promote Virginia products and advance economic development.

 

Retailers, wholesalers, distributors, food service representatives and those in search of private-label brands will find hundreds of Virginia-produced and processed products that are properly packaged and labeled for the retail setting. Attendees meet one-on-one with producers, select new items and place orders right on the show floor.

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Contact:

 

Rob Davenport

Director, Division of Marketing & Development

Robert.davenport@vdacs.virginia.gov

804-786-5447

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Marshall Payne
Promotion & Events Specialist
marshall.payne@vdacs.virginia.gov

804.786.1809

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Heather Wheeler
Manager of the Office of Domestic Marketing and Promotions
heather.wheeler@vdacs.virginia.gov

804.786.5842

The Specialty Food Association (SFA)

 

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) is a national, not-for-profit, membership-based, trade association founded in 1952 and currently representing 3,000+ businesses. 
 

Who They Represent

SFA members are specialty food artisans, purveyors, importers and entrepreneurs, as well as distributors, retailers, and others involved in the specialty food trade. Overall specialty food sales in the U.S. totaled over $148 billion in 2019. 
 

What They Offer

The SFA produces the Fancy Food Shows, and presents the annual sofi Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. The Association is also a source of industry information, educational events and in-person and online networking opportunities for members, including the digital Infinite Aisle, a product sales platform. SFA produces yearly research reports that include the State of the Specialty Food Industry and Today’s Specialty Food Consumer.

See Member Benefits
 

Contact:

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www.specialtyfood.com

The Specialty Food Association

Membership Help Desk: 1 (646) 878-0301 
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm ET

(excludes holidays)

Virginia’s Finest 

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The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) under the Division of Marketing and Development introduced the Virginia’s Finest® Trademark Program to enhance the economic opportunities and success of Virginia’s specialty food companies, processors, and agriculture producers.  

 

The classic Virginia's Finest® trademark identifies, differentiates, and promotes top-quality Virginia agriculture and specialty food and beverage products.  

 

Buyers and consumers have grown to recognize the blue and red “VA check mark” logo and know they are purchasing top quality Virginia-produced and processed products, including:
 

• Meats

• Cheeses

• Soups

• Seafood

• Peanuts

• Pasta

• Baked Goods

• Snacks

• Chocolates/Confections

• Condiments/Dressings

• Sauces

• Beverages

 

Only Virginia products that meet or exceed quality standards are part of the Virginia's Finest Program. Specific industries recommend, create, and update the quality standards. All Virginia's Finest products must be approved by the Virginia's Finest Review Committee. The Committee reviews product packaging and labels to ensure products meet state and federal regulations. The Committee verifies that products meet or exceed the standards established by the industry. 

VDAC - Office of International Marketing

 

The Office of International Marketing under the Marketing and Development Division connects Virginia agricultural producers with export opportunities. We promote Virginia agricultural commodities, wood products, seafood and specialty food and beverage items through our Virginia office and a global network of trade representatives in Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom.

 

The Office of International Marketing is available to help Virginia agricultural, food and forest product producers assess market potential, understand international regulations, identify buyers, and learn about product-specific export programs and marketing events. Contact us for these resources, including opportunities with partner organizations such as the Southern United States Trade Association, American Hardwood Export Council, and a variety of commodity export associations.

 

Contact:

Keith Long
Director, Office of International Marketing
804.371.8990
keith.long@vdacs.virginia.gov

 

Amy Miller
International Marketing Specialist
804.786.3162
amy.miller@vdacs.virginia.gov