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July 6, 2018

The Weekly Spoon: Nomiku’s Food Delivery Biz, Anova Nano Review, Amazon Go Is Growing (And So Are We!)

People love our newsletters, so we thought we’d start also making them available as posts. If you want to get the Weekly Spoon in your inbox, just subscribe here. On to this week’s newsletter…

As the worlds of technology and food continue to collide, one trend gaining traction is the pairing of kitchen appliances with food subscriptions.

The idea makes sense. Hardware-only business models are nearly impossible to pull off nowadays, as the combination of ever-faster commoditization cycles, fickle consumers and Amazonification of online commerce make for rough sailing for those startups setting sail into consumer technology. Unless your product becomes a viral sensation – which does happen periodically – you’ll need to develop a sustainable long-tail revenue model (or have a plan for one), especially if you plan to raise funding for your new business.

Consumer sous vide pioneer Lisa Fetterman knows full well the difficulty of building a consumer hardware business. The author and mother of two started Nomiku back in 2012 and has been evangelizing her sous vide circulators ever since, but at a sub-$300 price point, it was hard to pencil out the P&L for a product made in the lofty-rent space of San Francisco.

Fetterman and Nomiku also had to convince consumers to use a product which, while delivering amazing results, also requires a significant behavior change on their part.  For a generation raised on frozen food, having them bag, submerge and sear to get dinner on the table is a big ask.

Which is why Fetterman decided to incorporate the entire meal journey – meal planning, food, and cooking – into the Nomiku experience.  The company introduced their Nomiku Meals last year, a food delivery service that allows consumers to mix and match sides and entrees in prepackaged portions and prepare them in 30 minutes. After starting with a 300 person pilot last May, today Nomiku Meals is available in eight states and makes up the majority of the company’s revenue.

It’s too soon to tell whether Nomiku will ultimately succeed in the face of competition from meal kits companies and Amazon, but from the looks of it, things are off to a good start.

You can read my full piece about how Fetterman is transforming Nomiku into a sous vide powered food delivery company here.

Nomiku isn’t the only company making news in the world of sous vide. Anova started selling their latest-generation circulator to the general public the past week on Amazon, and after picking up a Nano last week at the Anova Kitchen, i put together an appropriately-sized review of the diminutive device. And finally, the Spoon’s Jenn Marston visited a new food hall that uses sous vide to cook everything on the menu.

With the July 4th holiday, it was a light work week for many in the States. To celebrate America’s independence in proper Spoon fashion, Chris Albrecht put together some ideas for a food tech Fourth. Catherine catches us up on efforts by Suggestic to incorporate AR into your diet planning.

If you’re on the east coast, be forewarned: The Spoon in headed your way. We’ll be hosting our first Spoon Food Tech meetup on the future of sustainable seafood in beautiful Providence, RI.  Ashley tells me the summers in Rhode Island are the best in the whole US, and while this Pacific Northwest resident is skeptical, I’m eager to eat some lobster and meet some of you at Providence Pilotworks on the 17th.

As you may have noticed, we’ve been growing here at The Spoon. We’ve added both Chris and Catherine as full-time writers this year, and have my old Gigaom friend Jenn Marston giving us lots of great insights every week.  It’s a great crew, and I’m very thankful to be working with them every day, and I hope you are enjoying their writing and insights into the fast-changing world of food tech.

With so much content, we’ve decided to start publishing the Spoon newsletter twice a week. I know it may not seem like that big of news, but for me, it’s yet another small sign of the exciting growth we’ve been experiencing.

It’s also been extremely gratifying to see what started out as a small idea to bring together the leaders across food, appliances, and tech to map the future of food at an event in 2015 grow into a company. It’s hard to believe that in the short time since we launched SKS in 2015, it now takes place on three continents; we just finished the inaugural SKS Europe, and I’m headed back to Tokyo for our second SKS Japan in August. And of course, we’re busy ramping up for the big show in Seattle in October.

I’m thankful to the sponsors who support us, and all the speakers who share insights about their businesses and where this exciting market is going. And of course, we’re thankful to all those who come to our events and participate in our growing community. We couldn’t do it without you.

Mike

P.S. Looking to get smart on food tech and meet industry insiders? Join our food tech Slack already

In the 07/06/2018 edition of the Weekly Spoon:

Suggestic Experiments with Augmented Reality to Help You Stick to Your Diet Plan

By Catherine Lamb on Jul 06, 2018 09:38 am
What if you could wave your phone over a restaurant menu and see “through” the descriptions, instantly assessing which dishes are best (and worst) for you to eat? That’s exactly what Bay Area startup Suggestic is working on. When users first open the free app, they set up their goals (lose weight, have more energy) and dietary […]
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Lisa Fetterman Is Reinventing Nomiku As a Sous Vide Powered Food Delivery Business

By Michael Wolf on Jul 05, 2018 02:00 pm
When Lisa Fetterman started Nomiku, all she wanted to do was get the word out about sous vide cooking. “When I first saw these machines in Michelin-starred restaurants,” said the CEO, book author, and mother of two, “I was like ‘Woah, this is it.’” By ‘it,’ Fetterman is referring to the technique employed by the […]
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Video: For Big Food, ‘We’re Past Innovation and Onto Disruption’

By Catherine Lamb on Jul 05, 2018 12:30 pm
Tyson Foods produces a massive one out of five pounds of protein consumed in the United States. Barilla isn’t any slouch either, with its 30% dry pasta market share in the US and 10% worldwide. That’s a whole lotta chicken and pasta, so when execs for the investment arms of these two food giants took the […]
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The Spoon Meetup in Providence: Blue Tech + Sustainable Seafood

By Catherine Lamb on Jul 05, 2018 08:17 am
This month we’re taking our food tech meetups on the road — to Providence, RI! We’re teaming up with SeaAhead and the City of Providence for this event, all about blue tech and sustainable seafood. Through panels and a town hall meeting, we’ll explore how innovation and technology can improve sustainability while still meeting the rising global […]
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Second Seattle Amazon Go Store is Bigger, How Long Until Cashierless Whole Foods?

By Chris Albrecht on Jul 04, 2018 06:00 am
In addition to expanding the number of locations of its Go stores, Amazon is also working on making them bigger. According to a story in Geekwire, Amazon is prepping a second Amazon Go location in Seattle opening in the Fall of this year, and this one will be 3,000 square feet, compared with the 1,800 […]
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A Nano Review Of The Anova Nano

By Michael Wolf on Jul 03, 2018 05:00 pm
When Anova named their newest product the Nano, there was no mistaking the message they were trying to get across: that this, the latest in their lineup of sous vide circulators, is their smallest yet. And so in the spirit of the Anova Nano, I present to you what is an appropriately small review of […]
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Celebrate a FoodTech Fourth of July

By Chris Albrecht on Jul 03, 2018 02:00 pm
It’s weird when a major holiday falls on a Wenesday, right? Do you take just the day off? The first half of the week? The last half? The whole week? Regardless of how much time you take off, we can help make your time at the grill a great one with these FoodTech finds. FOOD […]
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Video: Regional Perspectives on the Connected Kitchen Market

By Catherine Lamb on Jul 03, 2018 01:00 pm
At Smart Kitchen Summit Europe last month, a topic on everyone’s mind was the future of the connected kitchen market. In fact, we had a whole panel devoted to analyzing the regional perspectives of the smart kitchen marketplace: Chris Albrecht of The Spoon moderated the conversation between Holger Henke of Cuicinale, Robin Liss of Suvie, […]
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Impossible Burgers Take to the Skies in L.A. – N.Z. Flight

By Catherine Lamb on Jul 03, 2018 12:00 pm
Airplane food gets an (admittedly deserved) bad rap, but airlines are working to change all that with fresh, vertically-grown lettuce, local craft beers, and, now, plant-based burgers. Yesterday, Air New Zealand sent out a tweet announcing that the buzzed-about Impossible Burger will be available to Business Premier passengers on their Los Angeles to Auckland flight […]
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Is NYC’s Sous Vide Kitchen the Future of Food Halls?

By Jennifer Marston on Jul 03, 2018 11:00 am
Last week, Sous Vide Kitchen (SVK) joined NYC’s sprawling food hall scene, where associations with celebrity chefs are the norm and $300 caviar is a thing. Comparatively, SVK’s take on the food hall concept is far more down to earth, focused mostly around technology and how it can streamline and improve the process of ordering […]
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June 22, 2018

Check Out Powerhouse Speaker Lineup For 2018 Smart Kitchen Summit

The first day of summer may have been yesterday, but here at the Spoon we’re already focused on October. That’s when our Smart Kitchen Summit will return to Seattle for its fourth year, and we are excited to get together with the leaders creating the future of food and cooking once again.

This year, SKS will explore the disruption coming to the meal journey — whether that’s at home, in the restaurant or in your company cafeteria — and you won’t want to miss the industry’s leading food tech event.

We’ve been hard at work putting together the leading thinkers and food/tech disrupters solving the industry’s biggest problems, who will get share insights and help find real solutions. Here’s just a sample of innovators and leading execs who will be joining us in October:

Dr. Karsten Ottenberg – CEO of BSH Home Appliances, one of Europe’s biggest home appliance company. Dr Ottenberg’s team just launched Europe’s first smart kitchen accelerator.

Kyle Ransford – CEO of Chef’d, a meal kit company which made the FoodTech 25 because of its aggressive moves into the connected kitchen, grocery and office markets.

Robin Liss – CEO of Suvie (and founder of Reviewed.com). Robin, who helped build one of the leading review sites in the world, is now using that experience to build a multizone home cooking robot.

Ben Pote – Director of Culinary Innovation for Starbucks. Ben’s job is to bridge the gap between culinary operations and innovation for Starbucks Global Innovation team.

Brett Dibkey – GM, Integrated Business Units, Whirlpool. He helped engineer the acquisition of Yummly and is heavily focused on helping to create the digital strategy for one of the world’s biggest appliance manufacturers.

Joe Ray – Kitchen tech reviewer for Wired. Joe has developed a reputation for brutally honest reviews of new kitchen technology. You’ll definitely want to hear him on the art of the kitchen product review.

Fukata Masa – Director, Panasonic’s Game Changer Catapult. Fukata Masa is leading the team helping to create future-forward concepts for Japan’s biggest appliance manufacturer.

Lisa McManus – Executive Editor for America Test Kitchen’s Tasting & Testing team. Lisa is driving one of America’s most respected kitchen review editorial brands into the era of the future of food.

And can’t forget our resident celebrity chef, Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais!

That’s just a sample, and we’ve got lots more to announce in coming weeks, so stay tuned.  You’ll want to make sure you pick up your ticket before early bird pricing expires at the end of June.

June 18, 2018

Thoughts On Dublin: A Look Back At Smart Kitchen Summit Europe

We held the first Smart Kitchen Summit in an old cannery.

Part of the reason was it was affordable. Events are big investments, and we are in many ways a startup; when I founded SKS, it was just a crazy idea about getting the people who were working on the future of cooking and food together in the same place for a day and to start a conversation.

But to be honest, I also liked the idea of having an event about the future of cooking and the kitchen in a hundred-year-old building that had its roots in food. As nearly 300 people gathered between those exposed beams and brick walls to talk about the future back in November 2015,  we were reminded it’s necessary to be mindful of the past behaviors, traditions and cultures that have shaped our food experiences as we discussed how innovation will impact every aspect of the meal journey.

And so when we began planning to take SKS across the Atlantic, I thought what better place to hold our first European event than at Guinness Storehouse? The idea of talking about the future of food and drink in an iconic 20th-century brewery was exciting, but I also like the inherent tension of a place steeped in history while modernizing to create a better experience for the consumer.

In a way, it’s that tension between old and new that’s at the heart of the food tech and what makes it such an exciting space to explore, something we were reminded of last week in Dublin as the day unfolded.

The conversations, discussions and demonstrations made it clear that the future of food and the kitchen is still being established in diverse regions across Europe. Below are some key takeaways from the day – you can also check out some of the pictures from SKS Europe here.  And, if you’d like to connect with many of the same execs, make sure to attend our flagship event in Seattle on October 8-9th.

The Changing Meal Journey

“50 years ago, if you wanted to eat, you had to cook,” said the BBC’s LuLu Grimes on a panel discussing the reinvention of the recipe. “You don’t have to cook anymore.”

This is true. Whether it’s the abundance of food delivery options, more automated cooking technology or dining out, consumers today have many more options at their fingertips and will only have more in the future.

But what about using technology to get more of us into the kitchen? There was a general debate happening both on stage and over coffee on whether it was the job of technology to make cooking easier and more enjoyable or if tech could someday just take over the role of chef entirely. But the one question we kept revisiting was: how could innovation make cooking more approachable?

Chef Angela Malik at Smart Kitchen Summit Europe

According to chef Angela Malik, it’s by thinking more inclusively – we need to be making anything used for cooking or preparing food that can work with diverse ingredients and foods. Particularly in a region as diverse and varied as Europe, with a long list of cultures and traditions around food. Audiences will feel compelled and connected to an appliance or product that feels like it could fit into their lifestyle.

Other speakers felt the development of guided cooking will make preparing food at home less intimidating. Jon Jenkins of Hestan Smart Cooking talked about how the arrival of software and precision heating technologies will make cooking outcomes better, which ultimately will make people want to cook.

Personalization Will Drive The Kitchen Of The Future

Another recurring theme we heard during the day is new ways to create more personalized meal experiences are fast approaching.

Onlookers watch Tailor Made cocktail robot at SKS Europe opening reception

“Unearthing the right recipe for the right person at the right time is where technology is going,” said Kishan Vasani of Dishq.  Convenience is the end game, said Vasani, but with personalization at the center of it. Groups like FoodPairing and FlavorWiki are trying to capitalize on these trends by capturing data points about taste and flavor and creating algorithms that leverage data combined with personal preferences to create meals that have the right nutrition and the right flavors for you.

Food, Kitchen and Cooking Are Platform Opportunities

While big companies like Amazon and Google are creating broad horizontal platforms around AI, conversational interfaces and IoT, a number of companies see the unique and multi-varied nature of our relationship with food as an opportunity to create vertically focused platforms. Drop’s Ben Harris spoke about how the kitchen is the “heart of the home” and how they’ve built a company around focusing on the food making journey.  Innit’s Ankit Brahmbhatt spoke about how the beauty of the kitchen is it’s complicated and definitely not binary, which means there will never be just one solution to figure out the meal journey every day of the week.

Google’s Devvret Rishi, meanwhile, spoke about how Google has identified food as an important space and talked about how the company is working to find ways in which Google Assistant can be plugged into the meal journey.

Innovation Happening In Companies Big and Small

I always enjoy hearing about an entrepreneur’s journey, especially when it’s told with a little humor and lots of authenticity. Christian Lane recalled his roller coaster journey from the heady early days as the Dragon Den’s youngest-ever entrepreneur (19 years-old) to building the first prototype for what would eventually become Smarter with the last 90 pounds in his bank account after the crash of his first company.

Christian Lane talks about his entrepreneur journey into the smart kitchen

We also heard from the eight early-stage companies in our Startup Showcase. From AI-driven meal personalization apps like PlantJammer to hardware/food delivery service offerings like Mealhero, to the Showcase winning effort of Mitte which was focused on healthier & more efficient mineral water usage at home, it was inspiring to hear the stories of these driven innovators trying to bring change to the kitchen.

Whether its in a certain category or trying to create an entire ecosystem for the kitchen, innovation is not just small companies.  We heard from those responsible for driving change at Electrolux, BSH Appliances and V-Zug and how these companies are changing decades-old practices as they transition their business towards the digital kitchen. Mario Pieper who leads digital strategy at BSH Appliances (Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau brands) talked about the importance of external *and* internal changes that must be addressed while legacy enterprise organizations work to keep up with the pace of disruption and the new players looking for partners and often times competition.

Similar to our first SKS in the U.S., kitchen appliance brands in Europe are eager to lead the conversation in the space, understanding the key role they play in the consumer kitchen but also recognizing the increasing role of digital content, connected platforms and grocery and home commerce brands. One startup founder during a networking break questioned why the larger grocery and retail chains were not on stage looking at how they plan to keep up with the future of food and the kitchen. “They aren’t sure what it means for them yet,” he remarked.

My guess is in the future they will be. Much like in Seattle and SKS Japan, I expect SKS Europe will continue to grow and incorporate more perspectives as we explore how the interlocking pieces across the entire food system recreate the meal journey. I hope to continue the conversation in Seattle and Japan and I hope you will join me.

May 16, 2018

COO of Lecker Labs, Makers of Yomee, Talks Crowdfunding Success

Since we announced the 8 finalists in our SKS Europe Startup Showcase last week, we’ve launched a series of Q&A’s to introduce this year’s talented crop of food innovators. Next up is Anindya Roy, COO of Lecker Labs, producer of Yomee.

Lecker Labs got their start at the food tech accelerator program FoodX and before launching a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign for Yomee, a countertop appliance which combines milk (and milk alternatives) with branded probiotic pods to create chilled yogurt in 6 hours.

Head to the SKS Europe blog to read our Q&A with Roy and learn more about the inspiration behind Yomee, the startup’s biggest challenges, and the secret to their crowdfunding success.

If you want to meet Anindya and more of the Yomee team in person and see them demo their countertop yogurt maker, register for SKS Europe in Dublin on June 11-12th!

 

April 18, 2018

Talking Sustainable Kitchen Innovation with Electrolux’s David Cronström

Over the past few years, appliance brands large and small have begun to stake their claim on the smart kitchen market. One that’s been especially active is Electrolux; in 2015 the company launched a smart steam oven with a connected camera, and they acquired sous vide company Anova in February of 2017.

In preparation for SKS Europe this June in Dublin, we spoke with David Cronström, their Head of Strategy and Ecosystems, about the future of smart kitchens, what connectivity means to him, and his favorite pasta dish (hint: it has truffles).

Read the full Q&A on our Smart Kitchen Summit blog. If you want to hear Cronström speak in person about creating sustainable innovation, get tickets to see him at SKS Europe in Dublin on June 11-12th!

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April 13, 2018

Agenda for SKS Europe Announced

We just released the agenda for the first-ever SKS Europe! All the action will be happening at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin on June 11-12th.

We’ve got an amazing lineup full of experts in some of the biggest topics in food innovation this year, like food delivery, the future of grocery, IoT and the connected kitchen, and taste and AI.

A few highlights:

  • Conversations with innovation leads from Europe’s biggest appliance makers such as Electrolux, BSH and Groupe SEB
  • TED-style talks from the founders of some of Europe’s leading smart kitchen startups, like Smarter and Whisk
  • A look at the personalized, guided recipe led by food journalist Katie Quinn along with Hestan, Recipe Guru and FlavorWiki
  • Analysis of the foodtech & smart kitchen investment landscape from leading European and US venture capitalists.

If you’re interested, you can view the full conference schedule here.

Tickets are on sale now, so grab yours before the event sells out. We’ll see you there!

October 17, 2017

A Few Early Observations (And Pics) From The Smart Kitchen Summit

The Smart Kitchen Summit was last week and, just like many of you that attended, I had a blast. As it turns out, talking to the leading thinkers, innovators and executives across the food and cooking ecosystem about the future is not only inspiring, but it’s also really really fun.

When I decided to create SKS back in 2015, I suspected there might be a few others like me enthusiastic to get together and talk about how technology and innovation are helping us to rethink old approaches in the world of food and cooking.

I was right about that. What was I wrong about? I had no idea how many.

Since the first SKS, we’ve more than doubled the size of the event, expanded to two full days, and brought on amazing partners like Campbell Soup Company to highlight the innovation happening in the space. Leaders from global brands like Google, Whirlpool, Amazon, Sears and Vitamix spoke on stage at SKS about their visions for the future of food and cooking, while founders of leading startups like PicoBrew, June and Perfect Company told us about how they are reinventing old categories and creating entirely new ones.

I am really thankful to all who came to Seattle and shared their time with us.  I learned so much and will be writing about the things I’ve learned (and will learn; I will be watching the videos of the session in coming weeks and sharing them with you), but for now I want to share some pics taken by a few of us, including those captured by my friend Scott Payton, a wonderful event photographer who was on hand both days.

We will be share lots more pics in coming days via posts and over on our Facebook page, so you’ll want to check back here and there often.

Enjoy:

The stage. Image: Ashley Daigneault

The day before SKS, Ashley Daigneault, Tiffany McClurg, and a few other SKS team members were down at Benaroya Hall working to set up while I was working off-site on last-minute preparations for talks and for the speaker dinner. We had decided to get one of those fancy stage backdrops since we thought it would not only look cool but also because thought it would create a better backdrop for videos and pictures. Ashley texted me the picture above just after the sign company had set it up on stage.

View from the stage before the event. Image: Michael Wolf

This is the view from the stage at 8 AM, about half an hour before we opened the doors to the room.

SKS morning during Evan Dash presentation. Image: Scott Payton

This is a great shot of the audience during the first session where Evan Dash talked about how to innovate in the kitchen and cooking.

Surj Patel talks with Chris Young of ChefSteps. Image: Scott Payton

One thing I wanted to do this year was capture some of what happens backstage. I love this photo of Surj Patel, who has taught me so much about the events business.  Here he’s talking to Chris Young, the CEO of ChefSteps. That’s Chris Albrecht, our Master of Ceremonies for the day, in the reflection.

The sponsor area on the promenade at Benaroya Hall. Image: Scott Payton

One of the things I love about Benaroya Hall is the view from the grand lobby out onto the city. This shot is a view from up on the promenade level looking towards the sponsor area.

Institute for the Future’s Rebecca Chesney wows the audience at SKS. Image: Scott Payton

Here is Rebecca Chesney giving a talk about creating a kitchen of actions.  I met Rebecca when I was visiting Google earlier this year and knew her perspective would be great for SKS. I was right. Her talk was excellent; deeply researched and unique. (Yes, we’ll have videos of the talks available soon).

Backstage at SKS. I’m talking to Brett Dibkey of Whirlpool and Brian Witlin of Yummly. Image: Scott Payton

Another backstage shot. I usually spend time talking to my panelists before we go out on stage, going over topics, formats, etc. Here I am talking to Brett Dibkey, head of brands at Whirlpool and Brian Witlin, CEO of Yummly. Ashley Daigneault is talking to Surj Patel in the background. I think Brian Witlin might be my long-lost brother.

Amanda Gold interviews Tyler Florence. Image: Scott Payton

The room is packed for Tyler Florence and Amanda Gold. They didn’t disappoint.

Andrew Deitz of Verdical pitches his company. Image: Scott Payton

Each year we try to make the Startup Showcase better. Last year we mixed the showcase part with happy hour, which was a hit. This year we decided to add a pitch session, which allowed the founders to articulate their company’s vision. This is Andrew Deitz, CEO of Verdical, giving a three-minute pitch for his company.

The judges listen to startup pitches. Image: Scott Payton

We had a rock star lineup of judges this year. This is a great shot of them sitting in the front row listening to the pitches. From closest to farthest: Evan Dash (StoreBound), Lisa McManus (America’s Test Kitchen), Brian Frank (FTW Ventures), Maura Judkis (Washington Post), Shakeel Farooque (Campbell Soup Company).

Richard Gunther and I enjoying a beer served up by HOPii. Image: Scott Payton

After the startups pitched from the main stage, we all went to happy hour where the startups then showcased their products.  After a long day, I made a beeline for HOPii’s table, where I knew I could get a beer from their beer brewing appliance. Richard Gunther of the Home: On podcast also partook.

Those are just a few shots from the first day. I and others from the team at the Spoon and SKS will be sharing more in coming days and weeks.

Again, I can’t thank those who came and spent time with us enough. We are so excited to be building this community with you. Keep in touch, send us your ideas for how to improve, and we look forward to bringing SKS back next year (including to Europe).

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