Viva Fresh to focus on health, wellness

Health and wellness, a pillar on which the Mission-based Texas International Produce Association is founded, will be a continued focus of this year’s Viva Fresh Expo, set for April 21-23 in Grapevine, Texas.

The good-health theme will be in evidence throughout the event, including at the keynote luncheon, when Dave McGillivray, technical and race director of the Boston Athletic Association Boston Marathon, is slated to give what is anticipated to be an inspiring talk.

During food demos, presenters will show why products “are great for you on a health level, not just taste, flavor and good for the environment,” said Dante Galeazzi, TIPA president and CEO.

And participants in the Viva Fresh Clean Eating Challenge, which kicked off in November, will also be on hand to share their stories.

“What we really want to do this year is show that connection, show that health and wellness can be enjoyed and should be enjoyed and should be an important part of everything we do,” Galeazzi said.

This year’s venue will be the same as last year’s — the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

The resort was selected because of its wide range of amenities, Galeazzi said.

There are about 1,800 hotel rooms on site, seven restaurants, a waterpark, a lake, a marina and the Cowboys Golf Club, which bills itself as “the first and only NFL-themed golf club in the world.”

“We have everything we could possibly ask for in a show venue,” Galeazzi said. And it’s only five minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Viva Fresh will also offer ample opportunities for networking.

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“We want the atmosphere at the event to be all about being able to do business and networking — suppliers meeting vendors, vendors meeting buyers, allied industries meeting growers, shippers and importers,” he said.

Attendance is expected to be back up to pre-COVID-19 levels — about 2,200 attendees, of which 300 or more will be retail or foodservice buyers.

The expo will feature about 200 booths. New this year will be a wine-tasting event.

“Grapevine, Texas, is so named because of the vineyards in that area,” Galeazzi said. “Not only will people be able to enjoy local wines at the event, but they will also have the opportunity on Thursday to visit some of the local wineries and have lunch or appetizers at a couple of them.”

A charity golf tournament is scheduled for Thursday and Friday of the event at the Cowboys Golf Club. The tournament will posthumously honor Ken Martin, founder of Mission-based Rio Queen Citrus Inc.

Although many COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place, such as temperature checks and sanitation stations throughout the facilities, “we are really looking forward to having a show much more akin to a pre-COVID era,” Galeazzi said.

A highlight of the show promises to be the keynote talk by McGillivray, who, besides his Boston Marathon post, is an athlete, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, philanthropist and author, as well as a survivor of triple bypass heart surgery.

“We have a speaker who represents the Boston Marathon who has an incredible personal journey,” Galeazzi said. “He’s going to talk about how he was all about exercising but didn’t really think about the things he was

eating. He had to acknowledge that exercise alone was not enough.”
The 14 Clean Eating Challenge featured participants are scheduled to attend and discuss their six-month journey toward wellness and healthful eating.

“Our hope is that, as we continue to put more folks through this Clean Eating Challenge, more people will draw inspiration and motivation from the journeys they’ve taken and figure out how that could possibly work in their own lives,” Galeazzi said.

Several workshops will be on the schedule, but topics had not been finalized as of mid-March.

“We try to make sure that education topics we pick are incredibly relevant and almost hot-button issues that people really want to know about at that moment,” Galeazzi said.

The purpose of the expo is to show the important role Texas plays in feeding consumers throughout North America, he said.

“Texas is now responsible for more than $10 billion of fresh produce entering the North American fresh produce supply chain,” Galeazzi said. “We’re talking about probably well over 200 different commodities.”

During the past 15 years, Texas has transitioned from a location that buyers could source from for just a few months of the year to a year-round source of fresh produce, he said.

“Instead of sending your truck to purchase items from four, five or six different states, you can send a truck as a buyer down to Texas and purchase the items you need from a single state year-round.”

Viva Fresh attendees may register at the event. For more information, visit vivafreshexpo.com.