Viva Fresh poised for a hit in Houston

For the first time, the Texas International Produce Association will bring its dynamic Viva Fresh Expo to Houston. Set to take place at the Marriott Marquis from April 11-13, this year marks the ninth Viva Fresh expo dedicated to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.  

“Houston is a very important hub — not just for Texas, but for all of North America,” Dante Galeazzi, TIPA CEO and president, told The Packer. “You’ve got the Port of Houston in one of the largest, fastest-growing, most diverse metroplexes in the United States. Everything that happens in Houston is about growth, so it makes sense for Viva Fresh, which is about growing the consumption of fresh produce, to bring the show to this exciting city.” 

While Viva Fresh 2024 is coming to a new city and a new venue with new ideas, Galeazzi says not to worry — the old favorites are also on the schedule this year.  

Viva Fresh is offering its popular morning and afternoon golf tournaments — both of which are sold out. It’s also bringing back its Y-TIPA event, which encourages networking and relationship building among Viva Fresh participants under the age of 35, as well as its In Bloom reception for women in the fresh produce industry. 

Now in its fifth year, the Viva Fresh “Clean Eating Challenge” award will be presented on April 12 at the keynote luncheon from 12-2 p.m. The program continues to change lives by encouraging produce industry participants to eat more fruit and vegetables, says Galeazzi.  

“Since its inception, we’ve seen the better part of almost 100 different participants move through the program, and a lot of them still talk about their experience with the Clean Eating Challenge and continue to live that experience today,” he said. 

What’s new this year? 

As an alternative to golf on Thursday, April 11, Viva Fresh is offering a tour of Houston breweries. And that evening from 7-9 p.m., the opening reception will also take advantage of its new host city with a 19th hole celebration at Astros Field.  

“The Marriott Marquis is in downtown Houston only a few blocks from Minute Made Park, where the Astros play. The Astros aren’t playing that night, so folks can walk around, take pictures and enjoy the food and drinks,” Galeazzi said. “In addition to offering a good time, both the brewery tours and the opening reception really embrace one of the Viva Fresh pillars, which is networking in a relaxed, informal setting. We want folks to have ample opportunities to network with other attendees.  

“We are purposely a small, regional show,” continued Galeazzi, who said TIPA is expecting approximately 2,600 attendees to Viva Fresh this year. “Each of our events is focused on the pillars of health, education, understanding the region or networking.”  

On April 12, new educational programming includes a lime grading workshop; a session on the future of the food supply titled, “Feeding the World: Understanding America’s Ag Strategy for National Security;” a discussion centered on the Tomato Suspension Agreement as well as a fireside chat with participants and mentors of the Clean Eating Challenge titled, “Making Changes That Change Lives.” 

“Limes are one of the largest and fastest-growing imported commodities,” said Galeazzi. “And much of the limes that enter the United States are coming from Mexico through Texas. So, it’s very important that not only the folks who handle limes as importers and sellers, but also the buyers understand what they’re looking for in lime grades.”  

The feeding the world session will explore America’s role as a global leader in agriculture, where experts see farming headed in the next five to 10 years, and the influence of fresh produce from the Texas-Mexico corridor, Galeazzi said.  

The U.S. tomato trade with Mexico has been a hot topic for years, and Galeazzi says this year’s Viva Fresh is set to examine where the Tomato Suspension Agreement is now, what happens when the industry enters the sunset clause review in September, and what it all means for tomato handlers, importers, sellers, buyers and consumers of tomatoes.  

On Saturday, April 13, the exhibition hall is open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

“You’ll notice that the expo opens a little earlier than other Viva Fresh shows, and that was on purpose,” Galeazzi said. “We want people to come and make the most of all that Viva Fresh has to offer, but we also want them to enjoy the city of Houston.” 

With Saturday afternoon free, attendees of Viva Fresh 2024 can attend the Astros versus Texas Rangers baseball game, visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center, take in Houston’s vibrant city streets and more.

Why attend Viva Fresh 2024? 

Viva Fresh embodies the Tex-Mex corridor and all that it has to offer in terms of fresh produce, says Galeazzi. 

“A lot of folks don’t realize the breadth of commodities the U.S. gets from Mexico through Texas. We import some 250 to 300 commodities from Mexico alone. The Port of Houston also opens up opportunities for items from other countries, including Colombia, Peru, South Africa and even China. 

“That’s really what TIPA is trying to do with Viva Fresh — to share with people why Texas is so important and that they can come to our state and get everything they need in one visit,” he added. “When it comes to fresh produce, they can get it all here and they can get it almost year-round.”  

Texas itself grows 60-some-odd different fresh produce items, says Galeazzi, who adds that thanks to the state’s burgeoning controlled environment agriculture industry, this fresh output now includes more leafy greens.   

Helping to drive the growth of CEA is the Lone Star State’s pole position for delivering fresh produce to the rest of the country. 

“Texas is central to all of the U.S. and really central to all of North America,” says Galeazzi. “From Texas you can reach any point in the United States in four-and-a-half days, and you can reach any point in Canada within five-and-a-half days. That’s huge, especially when you’re talking about a supply chain logistics footprint and freight costs.” 

The more than $10 billion in government funding for roads, bridges, roadway safety and highway projects in Texas announced since 2022 should also help pave the way for expedited produce delivery. 

“Texas was one of the big beneficiaries of the infrastructure bill that President Biden passed,” said Galeazzi. “As Texas grows, so does our need for improved roadways. Expanding roadways and the new toll road projects are especially important to the 18-wheelers that don’t want to get snarled in traffic. Just like fresh produce, infrastructure growth in Texas is going to keep getting bigger and better.  

“We offer a freight advantage, a speed of delivery advantage and a freshness advantage,” continued Galeazzi. “And, by the way, if you buy from Texas, and you don’t need that full truck of onions, you can add avocados, bananas, grapefruit, dragon fruit, lychee, strawberries — because if you can’t find it in Texas, it probably isn’t grown.”