Last year, we attended the Organic Produce Summit for the first time and were blown away by every aspect of the show—from the number of attendees and buyer presence to the educational highlights and impressive show floor displays. Since the beginning of tradeshow season, we’ve heard the industry buzzing about the Organic Produce Summit, a show we greatly look forward to attending in Monterey on July 10–11.
If you haven’t attended this show before, we highly recommend you do! The sold-out show is now open to attendee registration and promises healthy buyer conversations, educational sessions about sustainability and shopper preferences, and much more.
What we’re looking forward to at the 2019 Organic Produce Summit
Conversations about sustainability
For the past several years, we’ve seen increased consumer demand for growers to practice responsible farming, from water conservation to recyclable packaging. At SXSW this March, we heard the term “regenerative organics” raised in several learning sessions—some even in panels outside of our industry. It is evident that responsible growing practices are now more important than ever to shoppers, and that we as an industry must lead the conversations about transparency and sustainability. We’re looking forward to attending the “Tackling Food Waste – Good for the Planet and the Bottom Line” session, as well as to discussing the subjects of food waste, imperfect produce, and profitability with growers and retailers alike.
The Retailer Roundtable
Last year’s OPS Retailer Roundtable engaged attendees in a healthy and challenging conversation about their experience with organics, their position on private label, and the shared space of conventional and organic products. We’re looking forward to Tonya Antle hosting the 2019 roundtable with Vic Savanello of The Fresh Market, Greg Corrigan of Raley’s, and Don Barnett of Sun Basket. This year’s roundtable will feature conversations about the challenges, opportunities and future of the organic fresh produce industry from the retailer perspective.
Conversations about the future of organic produce, hosted by Jonathan Steffy and Mark Munger
This year’s show will feature two panels about the future of organics: Jonathan Steffy from Four Seasons Produce will host “The Future of Organic Meals at Retail” and Mark Munger from 4Earth Farms will host “What Lies Ahead for Wholesalers of Organic Produce.” These panels will address the rising trend in organic consumption and the changes wholesalers and retailers are making to meet demand. We are excited to hear their perspectives on what the future looks like—and as always, to subsequently put marketing into action to elevate and support the changes coming.
New and emerging consumer data
The Organic Trade Association has developed new research in partnership with the Natural Marketing Institute, and their findings and analyses will be revealed during this year’s show. As an agency focused on measurable results for fresh produce brands, we place a great deal of importance on understanding our audiences to ensure our messaging reaches them efficiently and effectively. This data is sure to help marketers like you (and like us!) optimize your work to create better content and messaging for today’s shoppers.
Are you exhibiting at this year’s Organic Produce Summit or attending on behalf of your brand? We’d love to meet with you and hear more about what you’re bringing to the show! Leave a comment below, and stay tuned to The Core to see what blows us away at the show this year.
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