BERLIN — The dynamic global produce community convened at Fruit Logistica 2025 with the collective goal of future-proofing the fresh produce industry, driving sustainability and increasing consumption.
What could tariff wars mean for global fresh produce trading partners? It was a key conversation at Fruit Logistica, which took place just days after President Donald Trump ordered a 25% additional tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, later pushing pause on those tariffs for 30 days.
“It feels like the early days of the pandemic,” said Doug Bohr, the chief strategy and program officer for the International Fresh Produce Association, describing the climate of uncertainty spurred by talk of tariffs.
“As a global member association, we feel like it’s important — and perhaps even more important in today’s climate — to be here among our members, understanding, listening to them and understanding their needs and how we can better serve them,” Bohr said.
IFPA has a major presence at Fruit Logistica and with its Executive Summit held the day prior to the show. Given the association’s worldwide influence, personalized approach to membership and commitment to advocating for its global member-driven association, its important that IFPA support its members at the show, said Miriam Wolk, IFPA chief membership officer.
One IFPA member aptly summed up the current situation around tariffs, saying “there’s nothing more challenging for business than uncertainty,” said Bohr.
“IFPA takes very seriously its role as a global member-driven association, to convene our members, to connect them and to inform them of what’s happening … to understand how they can work together to try to address these current uncertainties,” he said.
The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission brought its mission to increase the consumption of North Carolina sweetpotatoes to Berlin. Fruit Logistica 2025 marked the first time the commission — made up of over 300 sweetpotato growers, packers, processors and allied businesses — exhibited at show.
“SUSTA [the Southern United States Trade Association] and the USDA created the opportunity for us to be here, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said the commission’s Michelle Grainger, who says she sees new and growing interest in sweetpotatoes.
Grainger said while yields were down in 2024, the encouraging news is North Carolina increased its sweetpotato acreage by 10,000 acres from 2022 to 2024.
“Filling orders for specific sizes may be more of a challenge, but we’ll make it to the end collectively,” said Grainger, who sees ample opportunity at retail to promote and educate consumers on uses for smaller sweetpotatoes. The commission is working with retailers to create assets, recipes and photos designed to “sell to what we have available,” she said.
Grainger doesn’t expect lower yields to continue. “2025 is going to be a very different year in terms of yields,” she said.
Chiquita highlighted its Sustainability Report 2023-2024, including advancements in its carbon reduction program, efforts to minimize food waste and the brand’s Yelloway One — a disease-resistant banana prototype.
“Chiquita wants to grow the banana of the future,” said Marco Volpi, head of marketing for Chiquita. For Chiquita, that means a banana grown sustainably, without pesticides and disease-resistant, said Volpi.
Developed in collaboration with KeyGene, MusaRadix, and Wageningen University and Research, Yelloway One combines scientific research with breeding technologies with a goal of delivering a sustainable solution for banana growers worldwide.
Chiquita also debuted its “Pop by Nature 2.0" campaign, which this year features collaboration with Argentinian pop artist Sebastian Curi.
“We received great feedback on our first Pop by Nature campaign last year,” said Volpi. “We think the association between Chiquita and art is an important one.”
Booth visitors had the opportunity to participate in an artificial intelligence artwork generation activity to generate personalized pop-art stickers inspired by the campaign.
Aiming to reach younger consumers, Chiquita is bringing this AI art experience online, inviting consumers to create their own AI-designed sneakers, Volpi said.
The National Association of Berry Exporters of Mexico, or ANEBERRIES, discussed its representation of Mexican berry producers from around the world. ANEBERRIES represents a community of berry growers from 22 Mexican states, said Communications Coordinator Mario Antonio Ramirez Espinoza.
“The Mexican berry industry is still young,” said Espinoza, who noted berries from Mexico have been imported to the U.S. for 25 years. While the industry may be relatively young, it is committed to quality and investing in technology, he added.
The association is also ramping up its promotion of berry consumption in Mexico, where it recently implemented a “huge campaign” to promote domestic berry consumption, Espinoza said.
Your next read:
