First-time attendees of Midwest Expo seek ideas, connections

Elizabeth Kircher, a sourcing manager for Blue Apron, will be one of a number of newcomers at The Packer's Midwest Produce Expo, Aug. 15-17 in Kansas City, Mo.

New York-based Blue Apron, a meal kit delivery service, started on the East Coast, expanded to the West Coast and now looks to extend its reach in the Midwest.

"About a year and a half ago we opened a facility in Texas, so we're really trying to gather more great suppliers and growers in Midwest America," Kircher said. "In order to keep up with the demands of our growth and kind of our quality standards, they're looking to establish more relationships."

Gathering ideas

Michelle Weaver, senior manager of produce services for Centralized Supply Chain Services, will be another newcomer at the expo. Her company is the buying agent for Glendale, Calif.-based DineEquity, the parent company of Applebee's Grill and Bar and IHOP.

Weaver said she expects to spend some of her time at the expo gathering materials to share with the restaurants' culinary departments.

"You want to network so that you have a solid base to draw from when you are helping a chef do some research on a product to see if it's a fit for the brand," Weaver said. "If there's something new and different or if a supplier or a grower-shipper is able to tell us or show us a new trending item, we can certainly deliver that message to our culinary teams for both Applebee's and IHOP."

Nick Thompson, general manager of Ray's Apple Market, Clay Center, Kan., is attending the expo for the first time with the goal of keeping up with industry developments.

"Just trying to see what new items are out there … to try to keep with the trends, to try to stay ahead of them and not be the follower but maybe be the leader in the market," Thompson said.

"I think millennials are looking more into organic products, better-for-you, that kind of thing, and I think they like quality," Thompson said. "Sometimes the competitor doesn't always get the quality. That's kind of what we're seeing. Organics, I know, are up a lot."

Using every minute

Jonad Galan, director of produce for Balls Food Stores, Kansas City, Kan., is one of six from his company planning to attend the expo. New to the job and new to the Midwest, Galan will be at the event for the first time and said he sees it as a huge opportunity.

"We're going to try and capitalize every minute of it and try and meet potential new suppliers and growers," Galan said. "From there we really want to spread the team, since it's a limited time, so everybody's going to go around and see different areas, take pictures, and then together we'll consolidate the information, kind of evaluate together.

"When you go to produce shows, you get an opportunity to touch the produce, see the fruit, sometimes engage in demos and taste the actual vegetable or fruit on the display, so I think it's a unique opportunity for everybody to experience as much of it as we can so we can get a good, solid amount of information," Galan said.

Creating partnerships

Caitlin Tierney is the senior buyer for Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cents Only Stores, which has more than 350 locations in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Her goal for the expo is to gather ideas and to create partnerships.

"Really it's to go, to look at not only innovation within the category, around the booths, but then we meet with key vendors that we think we could partner up with in the upcoming seasons, like import grapes, apples, pears, citrus," Tierney said.

Tierney will also be on the lookout for trends that can be offered in affordable ways.

"We're looking for obviously different pack styles that allow us to sell at 99 cents as well as different organic opportunities and 'ugly fruit' that we can also price out at 99 cents and give value to our customers," Tierney said.

Patricia Jimenez, national contract manager for Fresh Concepts, Murrieta, Calif., wants to develop new Midwest connections and nourish old ones.

"I'm the type of person who wants to talk to the whole world," Jimenez said.

Regional expos are ideal for more in-depth conversations, she said, because they allow for more time to get to know other companies than what is available at larger national conventions.

Catching up

Tracy Nelson, produce director for Cosentino's, Kansas City, Mo., and a first-time visitor to the expo, will be looking for items that are new and different, but he will also be watching for familiar faces.

"It's always good to reconnect, to extend those relationships that you built over the years," Nelson said.

C.J. Harle, director of produce procurement and distribution for Balls Food Stores, had a similar take.

"I'm looking to prioritize my time with some of the vendors I'm doing business with currently to make sure that we're on track for everything we've got to finish the year out and the holidays coming up," Harle said, "and also to reach out to some growers that maybe I wasn't aware of that have unique items that I'd like to get into our stores."

The Midwest Produce Expo is in its fifth year.