Seen and heard at 2024 Fruit Attraction — Part 2

MADRID — From the latest in fruit breeding to labor-saving tech to virtual reality farm experiences to sustainability and innovation, Fruit Attraction offered an up-close look at what's new and what's next for the fresh produce industry.

“Fruit Attraction is the show of the future,” more than one attendee told The Packer about the event, Oct. 8-10, which brought the global produce industry to IFEMA Madrid.

At Fruit Attraction 2024, global berry producer Hortifrut launched its BerryReality, a virtual reality project designed to transform the way the industry and consumers connect with the company's growing experience, innovation and sustainability practices.

“We're bringing the field into the fair,” said Hortifrut Chief Information Officer Jose Miguel Arizabalo. “Retailers and customers can see how we manage genetics and sustainability and how we are using technology and innovation.”

Innovation is a key component of every department at Hortifrut from marketing to human resources to genetics to farming, said Arizabalo.

“Innovation is in the DNA of our company,” added Stéphanie Giorgi, Hortifrut corporate marketing director.

The interactive, farm-to-table experience transported attendees to berry fields in Peru, Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

In the U.S., Hortifrut's products reach consumers through Naturipe, for which the company is a grower.

“At Bayer, everything is linked to innovation — regenerative agriculture, sustainability, seed development — it's all linked to innovation,” said Patricio Corona, who sees Bayer customers using its innovation to increase the sustainability of their own operations; reduce water usage, environmental impact and waste; improve disease resistance; and increase flavor, quality and yields.

Bayer has embraced sustainability practices for years, and now it sees regenerative ag moving to the fore.

“Our customers need help, starting from the seed,” said Jose Guirado. “If, for example, you improve the root system of the plant, it requires less fertilizer and water.

“We're also bringing varieties resistant to new diseases to market through our global breeding program,” Guirado added.

As there's no one-solution-fits-all for growing food around the world, Bayer taps into its extensive bank of global genetics, digital data and technology resources to predict agricultural challenges in the future, said Corona.

The excitement that comes from a fresh produce breakthrough was palpable at the Syngenta booth, where Pedro Arranz and Klaudia Borbola offered visitors a taste of an impossibly sweet white Glacial corn with 30 Brix, which is a higher sweetness level than watermelon, said Borbola.

Syngenta debuted the corn made from its seeds for the first time at Fruit Attraction.

“In addition to being super sweet, its texture is very soft but also has a crunch,” said Borbola. “It's difficult to describe. Its eating quality and texture is so unique; it's unlike anything else.”

The corn is so sweet, says Borbola, that it can be used as a sugar replacement in a range of dishes, including guilt-free desserts.

Arranz and Borbola says the corn is also “very sustainable” and is grown in the U.S. and other countries.

At the colorful Chiquita booth, Peter Stedman, director of sustainability, and Marco Volpi, head of marketing, discussed sustainability as the driving force of Chiquita's company culture.

Fruit Attraction provided an opportunity for the company to spotlight the release of its 2023-24 sustainability report. The new report is really focused on Chiquita's For the Greater Good pillar, which is composed of “three big ideas,” said Stedman, pointing to three initiatives: a carbon reduction program, minimizing food waste, and combating Tropical Race 4 disease, or TR4, through the introduction of a new disease-resistant banana variety with a smaller carbon footprint that was developed in partnership with Yelloway.

The new variety that looks, feels and travels like a cavendish banana, represents a major milestone for the industry, long dominated by one variety, said Stedman.

“The banana industry has biodiversity for the first time,” he said.

And the banana breeding is all natural, said Volpi, who noted that Yelloway bananas can be produced anywhere in the world without additional licensing.

As TR4 continues to spread, ongoing plantings of the new variety will be key to maintaining consistent supplies.

“Hopefully, we won't see a change in the marketplace,” said Stedman. “Sustainability and our brand are one.”

On the food-waste front, Chiquita employs ongoing efforts to reduce food waste across its operations from farm to consumer. The company says less than 1.5% of its bananas are wasted during ripening, shipping. Additionally, Chiquita donates 5.5 million bananas to Feeding America each year.

“We think food waste is unacceptable in a world that produces so much food,” Stedman said.

Agrovision, which sells its Jumbo Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries under its Fruitist label in the U.S., sampled its Jumbo Blueberries at Fruit Attraction 2024.

“Retailers want these berries all the time, so we've got strategic plantings around the world,” said Steve McVickers, chief commercial officer for Agrovision, about the blueberries that are a year-round offering.

Agrovision is leaning into technology to identify challenges and overcome them, find the right varieties that work best in each of its growing regions and inform its farming practices — all to ensure the consistent supply of a “better berry,” said McVickers, who also sees increased demand for Fruitist's Jumbo Raspberries.

McVickers sees the Fruitist Jumbo blueberries as more than a new product, and rather a whole new berry usage occasion, as the size, flavor and firmness of the Jumbo Blueberries make them a more satisfying, refreshing snack.

“This fair has grown tremendously,” said Xavier Roussel, vice president of marketing and sustainability for Dole. “Each year, Fruit Attraction is better attended and there are more retailers. It's interesting to see how meaningful this fair has become and its [importance] is still increasing.”

Roussel showcased Dole's Be Exotic offerings including mangoes, papaya and avocados.

Oliver Kiernan, Dole's director of organics for Europe, discussed the company's Go Organics brand and the “huge” demand for organics in Northern Europe.

“Retail customers want consistent availability,” said Kiernan, adding that partnerships, like the Dole-Oppy joint venture, is one way to ensure consistency of quality and supply.

As one example of beneficial partnerships, Dole is in the early stages of a grape program in Peru and Chile that Kiernan sees as a key component to its future success in the U.S. market.

“Through the Oppy partnership, we're able to leverage their agronomy support on the ground in Peru and Chile,” he said.
 

The National Association of Berry Exporters of Mexico or ANEBERRIES, discussed its representation of Mexican berry producers from around the word. The association works closely with growers and exporters on a range of topics including social responsibility, sustainability, market trends, production processes, food safety and more, said CEO Juan José Flores.

ANEBERRIES has ambitious goals for its upcoming 15th annual ANEBERRIES International Congress, an event which aims to promote dialogue between academia, industry and government. Last year, the event drew 2,200 attendees, and in 2025, Flores says ANEBERRIES hopes to nearly double its attendance to 4,000. The event is slated for July 23-24 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Your next read:

• Westfalia shows sustainability in action at Fruit Attraction 2024

• Seen and heard at 2024 Fruit Attraction — Part 1