ATLANTA — The International Fresh Produce Association’s 2024 Global Produce and Floral Show put the spotlight on products, promotions and partnerships from its more than 1,100 exhibitors, Oct. 17-19.
Reidsville, Ga.-based Vidalia onion grower Shuman Farms’ tailgate-themed booth to highlight its efforts to promote sweet onions as a center-of-the-plate ingredient, such as hosting a tailgate event at a college football game.
“We’re targeting the next generation of shoppers and trying to drive awareness and education [about sweet onions],” said John Shuman, president and CEO.
Shuman Farms has also team up with athletic programs at Georgia Southern University and the University of Georgia to reach younger consumers and emphasize “healthy eating with fresh fruits and vegetables, especially sweet onions,” Shuman said, adding that the partnerships are year-round and not limited to football season.
Shuman Farms is in the middle of the season for its premium sweet onions from Peru, which are expected to go through early April next year, Shuman said.
The IFPA show’s timing also provided an opportunity to mention Shuman Farms’ special packaging — going pink in October for breast cancer awareness, as well as the return of its Feeding America bags in November and December to support the hunger relief organization’s food banks.
“Being a grower and farmer, we think it’s a responsibility of ours to give back to the food insecurity initiative in America,” Shuman said.
Dole Food Co. showcased its multi-variety mango program, which launched earlier this year. Whether it’s mangoes, pineapples, bananas or dragon fruit, the company sought to “remind people that Dole knows tropics better,” said William Goldfield, director of corporate communications.
Dole is in the home stretch of its year-long “Banana-Versary” celebrating 125 years of its banana business. That has included a multitude of appearances by Dole’s Bobby Banana mascot, who posed for photos with booth visitors.
The company also is supporting 125 runners at the 2024 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon in November. Dole’s corporate offices are in uptown Charlotte, N.C., and it has partnered with Run Charlotte to become the official banana of the Charlotte Marathon.
“We’re excited about that,” Goldfield said.
In looking back during Dole’s milestone year, the company has encapsulated how sustainability has been interwoven with operations since its origin, he said.
“As we think of making sure we get our sustainability message out there … we need to obviously build upon it and make it bigger and better, but it’s certainly who we are already,” Goldfield said.
Fresh produce grower, marketer and distributor Oppy used the show as an opportunity to highlight updates from its partners, such as Avoworks, which drew attendees’ attention with a sign featuring its luchador avocado characters, part of its “Badhass” promotional concept for retail.
Formed from an alliance of three avocado growers and packers, Avoworks is in its third full year of operations and partners with Oppy and co-brands with Eco Farms, said Avoworks President Pedro Somarriba.
“It’s done very well, but we also see an opportunity to do something that’s a little bit more fun, not only for retailers, but also for consumers,” he said, adding that Badhass is a play on the variety of avocados that Avoworks sells.
“We thought, ‘Hey, what a great way to go out there and bring some fun into the category and also create some brand recognition in the process,’” he said, wearing a pin featuring a grinning lucha libre avocado.
Somarriba also highlighted Avoworks’ vertical integration as growers and packers partnering with Oppy as a distributor.
“That gives consumers confidence that we know where their fruit came from, how it was produced, which I think is a huge trend in the U.S. today,” he said.
Packaging company Sev-Rend took to the show floor with a complete line of sustainable and conventional options to meet varying guidelines from retailers, said Mark Hoppenjans, vice president of sales and sustainable business.
While not every company is making the move to sustainable packaging at the same rate, Sev-Rend seeks to serve clients wherever they are.
“We’re trying to manage the sustainable options with the conventional and allow that transition to happen and keep our customers supplied with what they need,” Hoppenjans said.
At the IFPA show, Sev-Red also displayed how it can help provide a view of key considerations for companies exploring a potential packaging change — such as providing life-cycle assessments and insights about change in costs and sustainability comparisons.
“What we’re showcasing is that our team offers full support,” Hoppenjans said.
At Grimmway Farms’ booth, the spotlight was on its Cal-Organic Farms line of packaged cut vegetables, which includes broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrots and a vegetable medley, as well packaged greens such a chopped kale, stemless kale, chopped collard greens and kale and carrots.
“This is a really exciting development for us that we really get to take advantage of excellent product in the field that [in a way] we haven’t been able to do before,” said David Bright, vice president of marketing for Grimmway Farms. “We’re able to take quality produce that may not [be ideal for bunched products] because it’s not exactly the right size — too big, too small — and we’re able to chop it up and put it in these bags. It’s a better yield, better sustainability.”
And the cut veggies meet the consumer need for ready-to-eat convenience.
Grimmway Farms also featured the established lines of packaged greens from San Miguel Produce, which Grimmway Farms acquired earlier this year.
This year was the second time Alpine Fresh had an exhibitor booth at the Global Produce and Floral Show, though the company has been around for just over 35 years. The sprawling showcase featured samples and products Alpine Fresh’s conventional line and from Hippie Organics.
Among the featured items were Hippie Organics Mango Fries. The 6-ounce container of fresh-cut mango pieces gives consumers a “healthy alternative for on-the-go snacks,” said Ashley Yager, marketing director for Alpine Fresh. The company’s fully home compostable bags were also a topic of interest.
Alpine Fresh debuted its blueberry bag that saves up to 80% plastic and serves as an alternative to the clamshell, Yager said.
With the next season set to begin in January, Alpine Fresh highlighted its Sweet Karoline premium blackberries.
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