MWFPA

What MWFPA does

MWFPA (Midwest Food Products Association) is a regional nonprofit trade association founded in 1905 as the Wisconsin Canners Association. Headquartered at 4600 American Parkway, Suite 210, in Madison, Wisconsin, the organization represents food manufacturing companies across Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and surrounding states. Its members include processors of vegetables, fruits, beans, meat, pickles, sauerkraut, frozen foods, snacks, sauces, and prepared meals, along with associate members from equipment, chemical, insurance, and consulting suppliers to the industry. The association operates with a lean staff of three and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of senior operations executives from major member companies such as Brakebush Brothers, Nortera Foods USA, Lakeside Foods, Seneca Foods, Bush Brothers & Company, Del Monte Foods, Hormel Foods, and Chippewa Valley Bean.

MWFPA's core service is legislative and regulatory advocacy in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, supplemented by federal-level engagement through partnerships with the American Fruit & Vegetable Coalition and the Consumer Brands Association. Beyond advocacy, the association delivers a portfolio of training, professional development, and networking programs including the 121st Annual Convention & Expo (with nearly 150 exhibitors), the Processing Crops Conference, Workplace Safety Summit, Food Safety & Sanitation Summit, Leadership Academy, Women in Food Forum, May Golf Outing, and October Sporting Clays Classic. The association also administers a scholarship program for children of member-company employees, awarding 20 scholarships at $1,500 each in 2026 plus higher-value Friday/Weckel scholarships for University of Wisconsin system agriculture and food science majors.

MWFPA's revenue model is membership-funded, with Processor Member dues (undisclosed, quote-based) and Associate Member dues ($550 annually for 2026) supplemented by convention exhibitor fees ($600-$1,750 per booth), attendee registration fees ($150-$350), and event-specific charges. The association is privately held as a nonprofit membership organization with no external investors, parent company, or public listing. Recent strategic activity includes a January 2025 presidential transition to Nick Novak, an April 2025 rebrand, and the launch of new programming such as the Women in Food Forum and Leadership Academy.

Name

MWFPA

Legal name

Midwest Food Products Association

Website

https://mwfpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MWFPA is a 1905-founded regional trade association headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, representing food manufacturing companies in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin through advocacy, training, and networking events including its 121st Annual Convention & Expo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through membership dues from food manufacturing companies. Processor Member Dues are available upon contact, while 2026 Associate Member Dues are set at $550 annually.
2. Convention & Expo Exhibitor Fees: Revenue generated from booth rentals at the annual Convention & Expo. Booth options include Standard ($1,050), Premium ($1,150), End Cap ($1,750), and Additional Standard ($600).
3. Convention Attendee Registration: Fees collected from convention attendees. Member rates are $225 (Full Show) and $150 (Wednesday Only). Non-Member rates are $350 (Full Show) and $275 (Wednesday Only).
4. Sporting Clays Event Registration: Revenue from the annual sporting clays event. Individual registration is $150, Team registration (4 people) is $575.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MWFPA is a nonprofit trade association that advances and protects the business interests of food manufacturers in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin through legislative advocacy, regulatory navigation, industry-specific training, educational programming, and signature networking events. The association sells annual memberships (Processor and Associate categories) and individual event registrations for its convention, summits, conferences, and networking outings.

Product overview

MWFPA is a regional trade association serving the food manufacturing industry across Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio of member services including advocacy representation in state and federal government, annual signature events (the 121st Annual Convention & Expo, Processing Crops Conference, Workplace Safety Summit, Food Safety & Sanitation Summit), professional development programs (Leadership Academy, Women in Food Forum), networking events (Golf Outing, Sporting Clays Classic), and a scholarship program supporting children of member-company employees. The association does not offer a software product but delivers value through industry advocacy, training, education, and networking opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2025Nick Novak, MWFPA's President, previously served as Vice President of Communications and Marketing at WMC - the combined state chamber and manufacturers' association. This prior relationship provides MWFPA with connections to the broader Wisconsin manufacturing community.
• American Fruit & Vegetable Coalition (AFV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMWFPA works closely with AFV at the federal level to advocate for the food manufacturing industry. AFV represents about 95% of the nation's fruit and vegetable growers and packers. MWFPA participates in annual Washington, DC Fly-Ins with AFV, meeting directly with lawmakers and federal agency officials to share industry perspectives.
• Consumer Brands AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMWFPA partners with Consumer Brands Association to advance shared policy priorities at the federal level. The Consumer Brands Association champions the CPG industry, contributing $2.5 trillion to U.S. GDP and supporting more than 22.3 million American jobs. Through this partnership, MWFPA supports lobbying efforts with Congress and key federal agencies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Confectioners Association: Trade association representing US confectionery manufacturers. Same business model as MWFPA—membership dues, convention/expo revenue, advocacy on labeling and food safety, and industry-specific education—serving a different food manufacturing vertical.
• United Fresh Produce Association: Trade association serving the fresh produce industry, overlapping with MWFPA's vegetable processing membership base. Comparable in delivering advocacy, convention/expo, food safety and safety summits to member companies.
• International Dairy Foods Association: Trade association representing dairy processors and manufacturers nationally. Operates the same playbook as MWFPA—legislative advocacy, regulatory navigation, annual events, member education—but for a single food segment (dairy) across the US.
• American Frozen Food Institute: National trade association for frozen food manufacturers, processors, and distributors. Mirrors MWFPA's role of advocating for food processors, hosting industry events, and providing regulatory/educational programming to a category-defined manufacturer base.
• American Bakers Association: Trade association for commercial baking manufacturers. Directly comparable in mission and revenue model to MWFPA: advocates on regulatory and workforce issues, hosts annual events, and runs member education programs for a US-wide baking industry.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers: Largest US manufacturing trade association operating at federal level. Comparable in being a membership-funded advocacy organization for manufacturers, but covers all manufacturing sectors rather than specializing in food processing.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: Trade association for the food retail and wholesale industry (grocers, wholesalers, suppliers). Less directly comparable than processor associations, but operates the same association model—advocacy, conventions, training—and serves an adjacent food supply-chain segment.
• Consumer Brands Association: National trade association representing CPG manufacturers across food, beverage, household, and personal care. Directly comparable model to MWFPA—advocacy, networking events, member services—but operates at federal level covering the entire US CPG industry rather than the Midwest food manufacturing niche.

Emerging players

• Institute of Food Technologists: Global scientific society for food science and technology professionals. Comparable in hosting food safety/sanitation summits and serving professionals in food manufacturing, but operates as a science/membership society rather than a processor trade association.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce: Wisconsin's statewide combined chamber of commerce and manufacturers' association. New MWFPA President Nick Novak previously served at WMC; comparable in delivering state-level advocacy, events, and member services to Wisconsin-based businesses, with overlap on the Wisconsin manufacturing base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MWFPA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzUxxabarZlazj1OsddaDTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/MWFPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mwfpa
• Instagraminstagram.com/mwfpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MWFPA