The PMA (Produce Marketing Association) held their annual Fresh Summit expo this weekend from October 19th to the 21st in New Orleans, Louisiana. The trade show consisted of 19,500 attendees from 60 different countries and the chance to connect with over 1,000 exhibitors.
The PMA is one of the highlights of the produce and floral world, with companies from every part of the floral supply chain and global produce industry.
Many Hispanic brands and companies were showcased at the PMA, including PROMPERU, Peru’s Export and Tourism Promotion Board, which launched their booth at the 2017 Fresh Summit expo. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to unveil their SUPER FOODS PERU brand, with representatives of PROMPERU and different divisions participated in the opening of their 1080 square foot stand.
“Our participation this year at the Fresh Summit with SUPER FOODS PERU will ensure that we maintain a strong presence in this market and strengthen our image as suppliers of excellent products that not only have nutritional qualities, but also provide other health benefits,” said Victor Sarabia, spokesman and Coordinator of the Agribusiness Department for PROMPERÚ.
Another Hispanic company was AGEXPORT, the Guatemalan Exporters Association, which celebrated 30 years of being a part of the PMA Fresh Summit Expo. They also launched a new brand line called “Guatemala Beyond Expectations,” with the idea to promote Guatemala as an innovative country. They presented a 100mt stand with a diversity of products and services ranging from vegetables and fruits to software development services.
Rise in attendees from Spanish-speaking countries
Nancy Tucker, PMA’s Vice President of Global Business Development, told Abasto that, “We are thrilled with the global attendance we’ve seen at Fresh Summit this year, including those from Spanish-speaking countries. We don’t have final attendance numbers in for Fresh Summit 2017. But I can tell you that over the past 10 years we have approximately doubled attendance from Spanish-speaking countries. This includes a 50% rise in attendance from Chile and four times as many attendees from Peru. Argentina and Costa Rica attendance has doubled during that time frame, and attendance from Guatemala has tripled.
We’re pleased members from these countries are seeing the value PMA has to offer — from Fresh Summit to the PMA Spanish website, input from volunteer leaders on country councils in Mexico and Chile, as well as having representatives in those countries.
The produce and floral industries operate in a global marketplace, and PMA is pleased to be a place where these communities can gather — in person and online.”
Along with a rise in Hispanic companies, the PMA also had a focus on technology, with companies such as Unitec coming up with new technologies dedicated to processing, classifying, measuring quality and inspecting specific fruits. The company Reisopack also put on a display, packaging asparagus in front of viewers, showing that the convention was filled not only with technologies, but trends and talent that offer a look into what will shape the floral and produce industry.
At the State of the Industry address, Cathy Burns, Produce Marketing Association CEO, said, “I believe our greatest strength is turning the global produce and floral supply chains into an interconnected community of people and ideas. Because when you think about it, ideas and insights are as much a part of the value of connections as people.”
