Jay Dyer, senior category manager for the East Coast for Chelan Fresh, Chelan, Wash., and Kevin Stennes, organic Manager, display organic Rockit and SugarBee apples at The Packer's 2022 Global Organic Produce Expo.
Dyer said both apple varieties are selling well, with the SugarBee delivering the crunch and crispness of the Honeycrisp but with a little more density. The Rockit, meanwhile, is a small apple that is perfect for young consumers and for snacking.
Sarah Shepherd, sales executive for Watsonville, Calif.-based Lakeside Organic Gardens, at The Packer's 2022 GOPEX show in Hollywood, Fla.
From left to right: Michael Valpredo, president of Country Sweet Produce, Alexandra Rae (Danell) Molumby, marketing manager,
Prescott Leyba, sales account manager, and Bailey Slayton, sales associate.
Country Sweet Produce was recently certified by the American Heart Association and is promoting sweet potatoes as a healthy heart choice. The company has been touting health benefits and recipes on its organic packaging.
Marco Binn, CEO of Nexxt Packaging Solutions, Exeter, Calif., said his company helps marketers navigate the rapidly evolving packaging solutions options.
Bob Catinella, Eastern regional marketing manager for Pear Bureau Northwest, said GOPEX was ideal to meet face-to-face with retailers and build awareness and knowledge of organic pears from the Northwest.
From left to right: Sharon Robb, national marketing manaager at North Bay Produce, Traverse City, Mich., Rod Bangert, business relationship manager, and Sarah Quackenbush, sales and export representative. Quackenbush said the company was highlighting organic strawberries, a new item for the company, sourced from Mexico. North Bay Produce also is increasing sales of all its organic items, notably French beans, she said.
Nathan Romney, chief product officer at iTradeNetwork, said the company's OrderMaestro e-commerce solution for foodservice operators and distributors provides clear order guides across units, auto-generates orders from past purchases and offers configurable workflows to streamline purchase order (PO) approvals.
From left to right: John Nyquist, representative at Alderman Farms Sales Corp, Boynton Beach, Fla., with Jim Alderman, Jr., vice president, and John Whitworth IV (Quad). Quad reports that interest in value-added packaging has spiked during the pandemic, and some buyers are moving to compostable trays with wrapped produce.
From left to right: John Slagel, regional director for Eastern operations at Sunkist Growers, with Carley Pratt, organic sales specialist, and Trent Bishop, vice president of sales and marketing at Sunkist Growers. Pratt said she is focused on growing Sunkist organic citrus sales.
Kristyn Lawson, sales and marketing for Luv Fruits, with John Pandol, director of special projects with Pandol Bros., Delano, Calif.
Luciano Fiszman, blueberry category manager with Gourmet Trading Co., Redondo Beach, Calif., and Adriana Fortune, sales representative. Fiszman said the company is bringing in a good percentage of its blueberry imports in bulk, which allows for improved quality control compared with pre-packaged shipments.
Kristyn Lawson, sales and marketing with Luv Fruits, with Sabrina Castillo, chief administrative officer and Carlos Cuervo, account representative.
Chris Veillon, chief marketing officer with Pure Hothouse Foods, Leamington, Ontario, visits with Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
