
Wharton Agribusiness, Food, and Beverage Club (WAFAB)
Future of Food Conference
2025 Conference Agenda
The 2025 conference will take place on Friday, January 31st. We will be joined by a breadth of founders, investors, industry experts, and advocates who will share their experiences of navigating and building in today’s food ecosystem.
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Tangen Hall (7th Floor Summit)
Registration & Breakfast
Enjoy coffee & pastries from High Street
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Tangen Hall (708)
Opening Remarks
9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Tangen Hall (708)
Keynote Fireside Chat
A conversation with: Rachel Drori (Founder, Executive Chair, & Former CEO at Daily Harvest)
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Moderated by: Christina Roberto (Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Associate Professor of Health Policy at Perelman School of Medicine, Director of Psychology of Eating and Consumer Health (PEACH) Lab)
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Join us for a fireside chat featuring Rachel Drori, founder and Executive Chair of Daily Harvest, a company redefining the frozen food industry to make sustainable and nutritious food more accessible. The conversation will be moderated by Professor Christina Roberto, a leading expert in food policy and nutrition from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, we'll delve into Rachel's entrepreneurial journey and explore the challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable, healthy food system.
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Tangen Hall (708)
Panel 1 - Empowering Local Communities
How can local food systems better balance sustainability, accessibility, and equity? What are the most significant barriers to empowering local communities, and how can organizations work to overcome them? How can local food systems serve as a model for addressing global food security challenges?
Speakers:
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Alexandre Imbot (The Community Grocer, Co-Founder & CEO)
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Kit Riggs (Sharing Excess, Program & Operations Coordinator)
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Tatiana Garcia-Granados (The Common Market, Co-Founder & Co-CEO)
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Moderator: Domenic Vitiello (Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Associate Professor of City Planning & Urban Studies)
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Tangen Hall (2nd Floor Colloquium)
Lunch Break & Product Sampling
Enjoy lunch from Middle Child and sample products from our featured founders​
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Tangen Hall (708)
Panel 2 - Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems​
​How to educate consumers about the benefits of responsible sourcing? Many believe sustainability is expensive or exclusive - how to make products or solutions accessible while maintaining commitment to sustainability? Are there any emerging trends that are particularly exciting – food, consumer, tech or otherwise?
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Speakers:​​
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Anu Menon (Driftaway Coffee, Co-Founder)​
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Ariane Daguin (AOOA, Foundation Director &
Chief Egg Collector; D'Artagnan Foods, Founder) -
Jeremy Kaye (The Spare Food Co., Co-Founder & CEO)
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Sarela Herrada (SIMPLi, Co-Founder & Co-CEO)
Moderator: Michael Barron (Climate LLC, Ecosystem Services Technology Strategy Lead)
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Tangen Hall (708)
Closing Remarks