Vancouver BC.

Arran Stephens, President of Nature's Path Foods Inc. was awarded the BC Food Processors Association Leadership Award and Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd. received the Hall of Fame Award at the BCFPA AGM & Professional Development Day on Friday May 9th, 2008.

Accepting the leadership award, Mr. Stephens praised the team with which he works for ensuring Nature's Path Foods' success. He leads a company that has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for the last three years, as well as Exporter of the Year Award in 2005.

Other nominees for the Leadership Award (in alphabetical order according to last name) were:

• Rene Fluri, President, Gizella Pastry Ltd, Golden West Baking Company and Les Boulangerie Rene Inc.

• Ray Leung, President, Happy Planet Foods

• Yves Potvin, President Garden Protein International

• Brian Tieszen, President, Sun Rich Fresh Foods Inc.

This award was sponsored by Creekside Custom Foods.

With a history stretching back 160 years, and as a thriving B.C. company producing over 120 varieties of sausages, hams and specialty deli meats, Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd. was honoured with the BC Food Processors Association Hall of Fame Award. Carol Buchanan accepted the award for Freybe.

Other nominees (in alphabetical order) for the Award were:

• Kidd Bros. Honey Co. (KB Honey)

• Pita Bread Factory Ltd.

• SunoRype Products Ltd.

• Sun Rise Poultry Processors Ltd.

• Sunrise Soya Foods

• The Original Cakerie Ltd.

The Hall of Fame Award was sponsored by KPMG LLP.

"We congratulate our winners," Robin Smith, BCFPA President, said after the awards ceremony. "It is important to recognize excellence in our industry. These are people who have been chosen for their dedication to improve and build the industry. They are a motivation to us all to do the best we can with what we have. They are an inspiration."

"As this was the inaugural year for the BCFPA Awards Program, we have not yet been in the position to maximize publicity this year," Nico Human, BCFPA CEO added. "We will be much earlier for next year's program, so if you are a BCFPA member and wish to nominate a company for the Hall of Fame or a person for the Leadership Award, please watch www.bcfpa.ca for updates or contact Donna Brendon of our Vancouver office. We are pleased with the first year, and intend to make it bigger and better for next year."

The BCFPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to represent all segments of the food, beverage and nutraceutical processing industry, and to coordinate common industry activities and resources under one umbrella. The Association represents micro, small, medium, and large processing companies.

Finalists for the BCFPA Leadership Award, sponsored by Creekside Custom Foods. Dave Eto of Creekside presented the award.
Left to right Brian Tieszen, President, Sun Rich Fresh Foods Inc.; Yves Potvin, President, Garden Protein Int'l; Arran Stephens, President, Nature's Path Foods Inc. (winner); Nick Mesich, Vice President, Golden West Baking Co/Gizella Pastry Ltd. (for Rene Fluri); Robin Smith, Board President, BC Food Processors Association.

Finalists for the BCFPA Hall of Fame Award. The award was sponsored by KPMG LLP and presented by Ed Zacharuk from KPMG LLP.
Left to right: Kyle Leslie, Sun-Rype Products Ltd.; Ed Zacharuk, KPMG LLP; Peter Joe, Sunrise Soya Foods; Carol Buchanan, Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd.(Winner); Dave Hood, The Orginal Cakerie; Robin Smith, Board President, BCFPA.