Seen and heard at IFPA's Global Produce and Floral Show 2024 — Part 5

ATLANTA — Sustainability, fresh convenience, greenhouse-grown and beautiful blooms bound for grocery were among the hot topics at the International Fresh Produce Association's Global Produce and Floral Show, Oct. 17-19, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Red Sun Farms has its eye on the future. Whether its new varieties, greenhouse development or expanding its acreage, the company is on a path of growth, says President Jim DiMenna.

The Ontario-based greenhouse grower has farms in Canada and the U.S. as well as Mexico, where Red Sun Farms is the largest high-tech greenhouse producer, DiMenna said.

With the conscious consumer and the environment in mind, Red Sun Farms offers a number of sustainable packaging options recyclable solutions.

“We want to deliver a good eating experience — a good product — and [at the same time], offer the best packaging we can for the environment,” DiMenna said.

Red Sun Farms also featured its Sweetpops “flagship” tomatoes and new Empress grape-size purple tomatoes, rich in antioxidants.

The team at the Bolthouse Fresh Foods' booth was cooking up a storm of delicious carrot dishes and showcasing its latest innovations in fresh, convenient, easy-to-enjoy carrots.

The company boasted a bevy of new products, including Bolthouse Fresh Carrot Shakers in Ranch, Dill Pickle and Spicy Chili Lime. The Carrot Shakers feature baby-cut carrots with seasonings that are ready to eat. Consumers simply pull both sides of the bag to release the seasoning, shake to coat the carrots and then open and enjoy.

Bolthouse Fresh Soup N' Stewin Carrots are washed, peeled and ready-to-cook carrots that are perfect for soups, stews and other comfort foods heading into fall, said Vice President of Marketing Karen White.

The company also showcased its Bolthouse Fresh Sizzlers Carrot Side Dish, which features crinkle-cut carrots with one of three sauce kits: Garlic Herb, Sweet Honey Heat, or Herb Vinaigrette. Sizzlers can be prepared in minutes in either a skillet or air fryer, White said.

Del Fresco Pure Marketing Manager Sonia Klinger was excited to share the news that the Ontario-based greenhouse grower was recently certified by the Equitable Food Initiative as a Responsibly Farmed, Farmworker Assured company.

Klinger also showcased the Del Fresco Pure's greenhouse-grown tomatoes in 100% recyclable trays.

“They really have a European vibe,” said Klinger of the new packaging that stacks well and features a cut-out window that allows consumers to see the tomatoes inside.

On the flower front, Jennifer Garbarek from Tessa Corp. talked the hottest trends in grocery floral. Tessa offers anemones and ranunculus year-round that are grown in one of the highest elevation farms in the Andes, Garbarek said.

“It's such a popular flower right now,” she said. Why? “It's a hot new item that really pops in design work for weddings, proms, parties and more. It's also just a really pretty flower that is relatively new to grocery.

“This is where grocery is headed — into the more trending items,” Garbarek continued. “We're excited to expand in the U.S. grocery sector.”

Innovation was front and center at Mastronardi Produce, which showcased the newest berries in its Sunset Summer Series Berries line. The Summer Series, which launched in 2023 with the Summer Dream Raspberry, now includes the Summer Delight Strawberry, Summer Magic Blackberry, and Summer Pop Blueberry.

“Summer Series Berries are consistent with everything that we do at Sunset,” said Geoff Kosar, vice president of marketing. “The products are full of flavor and we're very excited to expand our offering in the berry lineup.”

The Ontario-based, fourth-generation greenhouse grower is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year — a source of pride for Kosar and the entire Mastronardi Produce team.

“Innovation is embedded into our culture as an organization, and you can see that with all the new products that we have at the show this year,” said Kosar, who adds that the company travels the world looking for the best varieties to bring them to the consumer. “We're very proud of the work that we do as an organization,” he said.

The team from the Idaho Potato Commission was eager to share news on the current Idaho potato crop ahead of the upcoming holiday season.

“We've got a good crop with a lot of good size, which is an opportunity for Idaho to sell 8-pound bags of jumbo potatoes for the holidays,” said Ross Johnson, vice president of retail and international for the Idaho Potato Commission. “Our shippers are excited to sell into retail.”

The commission has seen increased demand for 8-pound bags at a time when consumers are looking to get maximum bang for their buck from their grocery baskets.

“We've seen incredible growth in 8-pound jumbo bags,” Johnson told The Packer. “With inflation, consumers are looking to stretch their grocery dollar. Potatoes are filling and can sit in your cabinet for a while [without going bad.]”

Your next read:

• Fresh 'worth fighting for,' says IFPA CEO Cathy Burns
• Seen and heard at IFPA's Global Produce and Floral Show 2024 — Part 1
• Seen and heard at IFPA's Global Produce and Floral Show 2024 — Part 2
• Seen and heard at IFPA's Global Produce and Floral Show 2024 — Part 3
• Seen and heard at IFPA's Global Produce and Floral Show 2024 — Part 4