AVENTURA, Fla. — Greenhouse innovations, eco-friendly mesh packaging, brand transitions and the vibrant appeal of Ecuadorian dragon fruit were among some of the highlights at GOPEX 2025.
“One thing we found on the organic front was the amount of organic pepper availability during the spring and summer seasons. Availability has reduced, while demand has increased," he said. "So, we made a shift in our acreage and now have 28 acres of organic peppers. That's been a big hit for us.”
The grower offers various pack sizes and types, including organic green peppers, and caters to its partners' needs.
Richardson says the company, which is family-owned and -operated in Leamington, Ontario, has leveraged its product line to connect with existing customers and explore new opportunities.
The small, interconnected nature of the industry makes events like this beneficial for reconnecting and starting the year positively. Of GOPEX, Richardson said.
“We've seen a lot of our customer base, met some new opportunities in terms of prospects — and everyone's connected," he said. "It's a small circle, and this is always a good show for us to reconnect with everyone and get the year off, ready for the season.”
"We are a sale, marketing and logistics company that represents eight to 10 farms in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida," Kennedy said. “So, we handle all of the brand management, the organic certifications compliance and then all of the sales and marketing for the line of products, then we do specific crop planning with our farm to create a well-rounded program to service our retailers and wholesalers.”
Kennedy said response at GOPEX was great.
“We've made a lot of new connections, and seeing old faces is always nice too," she said. "We've had a lot of visitations to the booth, so it's been great.”
“This year is going to be a whole lot of connection with the consumer," Adkins said. "Everybody's talking about field to table, and we're focusing on ... the journey from the field to the table.
"We forget that there's a huge amount of activity that happens between A to Z, and that's what we're focusing on right now," she continued. "We're focusing on our growers. We're focusing on the communities that we affect. We're focusing not just on our communities, but our employees.”
“If you have a project requiring flexible packaging, private labels from retailers [that] you're trying to update or modify, or just have a packaging program review in general, we're glad to support that," Lopez said. "If you want to have operational growth on your packing facility, we offer parts and service and new equipment that you can add to your alliance to help you continue to be in the position you need to be in to grow."
Regarding sustainable packaging, Lopez said, “We are doing what is most responsible for fresh produce, and that's putting it in the right bag so that it has the environment that it needs for extended shelf life. Ultimately, we want to make sure that good food reaches communities that we feed, the communities, not the landfills, and a lot of that starts with the bag that it's in.”
Lopez said the company featured its signature Fox Fresh Mesh, combo bags, wickets, pouches and roll stock, suitable for various packaging needs.
“What we are featuring is our golden dragon fruit — a variety that looks like a yellow, but it's not as sweet," she said. "We also have our red flesh dragon fruit, both available year-round and sourced from Ecuador, Mexico."
Manresa said the company's goal for the expo was to meet both retailers and suppliers and communicate its message those they are working with.
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On Jan. 13, guests enjoyed a reception at Tidal Cove Pool.
(Photo: Jill Dutton)
(Photo: Jill Dutton)
by Jill Dutton, Jan 17, 2025