The Sport of
Building Brands
Nobody wins on talent alone. The brands that break through are built by people who train every muscle — the brand, the growth engine, the retailer, and the technology. One day. Four panels. Two keynotes. Every side of the CPG game in one room.
220 CPG founders, marketers, sales, buyers, and operators. Train all four muscles.
There is no finish line in brand building. The founder building their first $1M brand and the founder building a $100M brand are playing the same sport. They're just doing different reps.
The winners aren't the ones with the best idea. They're the ones who trained every muscle: a brand people believe in, a growth engine that compounds, the retailer that puts them on the shelf, and the technology that gives them an edge. This is where you train.
Four Panels.
One Training Day.
Every panel is built to make you measurably stronger in one of the four areas that decide whether a CPG brand survives and scales. No theory. No buzzwords. The real decisions.
The Brand
Founders at every stage get candid about the decisions, lessons and setbacks behind earning distribution, winning the shelf and getting into the cart.
Growth
Storytelling, content, community, creators and retail marketing — and how founders figure out what is actually working.
The Retailer
Buyers and retail leaders on what gets a brand listed, what keeps it there, and what they want to see heading into 2027.
Technology
All things retail, brand and CPG tech — with a hard focus on where AI is actually changing how lean teams build, sell and operate.
Not One Big Breakthrough.
Thousands of Reps.
Building a CPG brand isn't one big breakthrough. It's thousands of decisions, reps, adjustments, failures and small wins. Founders at different stages unpack what it actually takes to earn distribution, stand out on shelf, connect with consumers and get into the cart.
You'll leave with a much clearer understanding of the actual reps required to build a CPG brand — not just inspiration, but practical insight you can apply at your current stage, from differentiation and consumer connection through to retail, distribution and scale.
Create Attention.
Earn Trust.
Turn It Into Action.
You can build a great product and have a great brand — but if nobody knows about it, understands it or remembers it, none of it matters. No marketing theory. No buzzwords. The real decisions behind building attention and turning it into measurable business growth.
Marketing isn't about doing more marketing. It's about finding the things that actually create growth — how to tell a story people care about, how to earn attention in a crowded market, and how to decide what deserves your time, money and resources.
Two Keynotes.
Know the Scoreboard.
Before you run the play, study the numbers. Two keynotes to set up how you plan for 2027.
The Scouting Report
What Canadian shoppers actually did in 2026 — how they discovered, chose, and repeated — and what it means for your 2027 plan. Real consumer data you can take straight into your next buyer meeting.
To Be Announced
Our second keynote drops soon. Grab your ticket now and you'll be first to know.
The Lineup.
Operators who've done the reps. More names drop between now and November 6.
JDPresenting 2026 Canadian consumer data — how shoppers discovered, chose and repeated this year, and what it means for your 2027 plan.
OEFounder of The Better Advisors, working with founders across CPG, wellness and hospitality on growth, profitability and long-term positioning — brand positioning, go-to-market, retail and wholesale expansion, pricing and capital strategy, from someone who has built and scaled a multimillion-dollar business himself.
AMCEO and second-generation founder of Organic Traditions. Since taking the helm in 2017 she has led the family business through North American expansion, a rebrand, B Corp certification and its first strategic minority investment.
MMTwenty years building a purpose-driven brand that cares about ecosystems, the people who grow the food and the communities it serves — through ethical sourcing and environmentally friendly agriculture.
DCSerial entrepreneur and co-founder of Goldy's, the Canadian superseed breakfast brand. Since launching in 2022 he's taken it into every Walmart in Canada, won Silver for Best CPG Brand at SIAL Canada 2025, and fuelled astronaut Jeremy Hansen on Artemis II.
ECCo-founder of TRUELY Foods, the vertically integrated high-protein cereal brand. Bootstrapped in 2021 to 3,000+ points of distribution across Costco, Walmart, Loblaws, Target and Whole Foods. Over a decade in CPG across food, beverage and sports nutrition.
JBManaging Partner of Otherhalf Studio, a senior-only Shopify Plus agency building brand-led ecommerce for DTC and CPG. Previously co-founded Burgers n' Fries Forever and co-launched Yellow Beauty into Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Hudson's Bay.
TSMost grocery brands don't fail because the product is bad — they fail because people don't change their habits. Trevor helps founders use story, clarity and sharp positioning to turn unfamiliar products into familiar choices.
EHFounder, creator and brand strategist with over a decade building brands through social media and storytelling. Co-founder of Socialdrop and Dreamcrust Pizza, with an audience of 750,000+ and hundreds of brands behind him.
LLCo-founded Odd Cookie in 2025 and grew it into 1,000+ Canadian retail locations in 18 months. Twenty years building brands and communities before that — influencer marketing with Coca-Cola, L’Oréal and Unilever, media sales at Corus, and Ani+Wren, whose podcast hit #1 lifestyle on Apple Canada.
AGSenior Category Director, Super Market Division, and a 2025 Canadian Grocer Star Women in Grocery award winner. On the panel: how category decisions really get made, what earns shelf space and what keeps it, and merchandising that drives velocity.
MMModerating the AI & Tech panel on putting AI to work in a CPG business, presented by MNP.
RNJoining the AI & Tech panel on putting AI to work in a CPG business. ChatFeatured is the VIP dinner sponsor for November 6.
KMFounder of The CPG Dept and The Sport of Building Brands, and co-founder of Toodu. EVP of Marketing at Marsham Natural Products and Elbows Out. Opening the day and closing it with a first look at 2027.
More panelists are being confirmed now. Grab your ticket and you'll hear first.
How Game Day Runs.
Doors 9AM. Four panels, two keynotes, The Recovery Zone, live sampling, and sponsor sessions — then VIPs stay for dinner.
The Run of Show.
Doors at 9. Four hour-long panels, a consumer data keynote, The Recovery Zone open all day, and the VIP dinner at six.
Schedule subject to change as the lineup is confirmed.
Recover Like
an Athlete.
Pros don't skip recovery. Step out between panels, recharge, and get back in the game sharper than you left.
Vitamin Boosters
Quick vitamin booster shots to top up your energy mid-day without missing a panel.
Compression
Compression boots to flush out a long day on your feet. Sit down, strap in, recover.
PEMF
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy — the recovery tech pro athletes use to bounce back.
Red Light
Red light therapy to wind down, refocus, and walk back into the room ready to go.
Services delivered by licensed providers, first come, first served. Longer IV protocols may be added depending on final event setup.
VIP Dinner.
6 PM.
Presented by ChatFeatured
When the panels wrap, the day keeps going. Speakers, sponsors and VIP ticket holders sit down together for dinner — a smaller room, longer conversations, and the people who move Canadian food.
Every speaker from the day, our sponsor partners, and VIP ticket holders — seated together, not working a reception.
Real conversation and new relationships with key stakeholders across Canadian food and CPG. The introductions that are hard to make anywhere else.
The dinner is capped well below the room. A VIP ticket is the only way in, and they go first.
Every Side of the
CPG Game.
Built for the whole team behind a brand — and the retailers who bet on them. If you build, grow, sell, fund, or stock CPG, this room is yours.
Founders & Brand Builders
You're betting everything on your brand. Get the playbook and the edge across all four muscles.
Marketers & Growth
Trade tactics, test ideas, and pressure-test your growth strategy with people in the arena beside you.
Sales & Category
Hear straight from the buyers on what wins the shelf and what quietly loses it.
C-Suite & Operators
Step back and sharpen the whole system — brand, growth, retail, and tech strategy in one day.
Retailers & Buyers
See the brands before they blow up and connect with the founders building tomorrow's shelf.
Investors & Partners
Meet the operators and deal flow shaping Canadian CPG — all in one room, in one day.
Get Your Ticket.
The room is capped at 220. When the seats are gone, they're gone.
All four panels, both keynotes, The Recovery Zone, sample stations, and sponsor sessions.
Get TicketsEverything in General Admission, plus the exclusive post-event VIP dinner at 6PM — the room behind the room.
Get VIPComing with four or more? Email us and we'll sort your group out with a rate and seats together.
Get Group RatesQuestions.
When and where is it?
Friday, November 6, 2026, 9:00AM–5:00PM, with the VIP dinner at 6:00PM. Vaughan Studios & Event Space, 200 Apple Mill Rd, 3rd Floor, Concord, ON L4K 5Z5.
What will I walk away with?
Tactical reps across four muscles: 2026 consumer data you can act on, a growth playbook that works now, what buyers want heading into 2027, and the tech and AI lean teams actually use.
Who should come?
Every side of the CPG game: founders, marketers, sales and category leaders, C-suite and operators — plus retailers, buyers, investors, and partners.
When are the rest of the speakers announced?
Rolling out weekly. The retail panel, the technology panel and our second keynote are being confirmed now. Grab a ticket and you'll hear first.
What's in The Recovery Zone?
Vitamin booster shots, compression, PEMF, and red light therapy, delivered by licensed providers throughout the day. First come, first served.
Are there group rates?
Yes — for groups of 4 or more. Email team@cpgdept.com and we'll sort out your rate and seat your team together.
Can my brand sponsor?
We work with a small group of aligned partners. Email team@cpgdept.com for the sponsor kit.
Train Every Muscle.
The brand. The growth. The retailer. The technology. Come build the brand that lasts.
Get Tickets