BONUS EPISODE live from SIAL 2023: ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay tuned for season four of The Food Professor podcast, Canada's top food industry and Canadian-produced independent management podcasts, when we return live on the mic Thursday, September 21st

On this episode meet Gregor Postl, Head of Advantage Austria, Toronto and Julia Goeschelbauer, Head of Export Marketing, AMA-Marketing

If you like what you heard, please follow us on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite podcast platform so that you can catch up with all our great interviews, including celebrity chef, restauranteur and entrepreneur Chuck Hughes from Montreal.

Have a safe summer, everyone.

About Advantage Austria

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA is Austria’s official trade promotion organisation. With more than 110 offices in over 70 countries, we provide a broad range of intelligence and business development services for both Austrian companies and their international business partners. We work with passion to generate more international business opportunities by promoting the products and services of Austrian businesses around the world, by helping companies and organisations outside Austria to build strong relationships with Austrian companies, and by fostering the exchange of the worlds and Austria’s best minds and innovations.

In Canada, we are in Toronto, and we also have an office in Montreal as well as a consultant in Vancouver. On our official website, www.advantageaustria.org/ca, we offer information about all sectors of Austrian economy, as well as events with Austrian participation.

Please reach out to our team - anytime - to discuss opportunities and find synergies, [email protected] or connect with us on LinkedIn @Advantage Austria Canada

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Website: www.advantageaustria.org/ca

Get in touch: [email protected], +1 416 967 3348

Follow us on Social Media:

• LinkedIn:
  • Advantage Austria Canada (https://www.linkedin.com/company/advantageaustria-ca)
  • Advantage Austria (https://www.linkedin.com/company/advantageaustria)
• Twitter: twitter.com/austria_in_ca
• Facebook: fb.com/advantageautriaCA

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About AMA

Agrarmarkt Austria Marketing (AMA), established in 1995, is responsible for agricultural marketing on behalf of Austrian farmers.

AMA stands for:

• Certified quality
• Promotion of agricultural marketing

In order to support exporters, AMA acts as an organizer in coordinating participation in important international food fairs and offers information for the international food industry. Furthermore, AMA provides contacts to Austrian suppliers and, if necessary, supports advertising. AMA has initiated a number of marketing activities, such as tasting sessions, training courses and in-store activation.

Website: www.ama.global

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About Europe Home of Cheese

"Europe Home of Cheese” is a multi-country programme together with France, aimed at promoting European cheeses on the Canadian market.

The initiative will contribute to reinforce the European origin as the undisputed reference in the cheese category, thanks to considerable product advantages: quality, authenticity, tradition, terroir, etc., and to defend the European origin as the

one of the most qualitative and sustainable origin. With the EU funded campaign, Europe Home of Cheese, AMA participates in international trade shows such as SIAL Canada to showcase the taste and high quality of the products and connect to relevant sellers and importers. Trade professionals and prescribers in the targeted markets will be directly reached through events, PR activities, and digital activation, while local foodies will have opportunities to discover European cheeses during consumer events and tasting days in stores.

 

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Austria Producers at SIAL 2023

Meet the Austrian Producers at @SIA2024, May 15-17 2024, Montreal:

https://www.advantageaustria.org/ca/news/SIAL_2023_-_Meet_the_Austrian_Producers.pdf

 

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Upcoming event: MARKETPLACE AUSTRIA FOR FOOD & BEVERAGES

Marketplace Austria for food & beverages is the (yearly) exclusive opportunity for food and drink buyers to meet suppliers and producers in Vienna and to get a taste of Austria.

Reach out to our team for more information via [email protected]

When & where: October 4, 2023, Vienna

Register here: https://food2023.b2match.io/

Registration is open until Sept. 30.

 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.

Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa.

 

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   

Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row. 

Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Remarkable Retail , with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. 

Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. 

Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.