Page 86 - January_2019

PHOTOS BY VINCENT ROAZZI JR.
WORLD OF PRODUCE CELEBRATES FRESH AT NY PRODUCE SHOW
The New York Produce Show and Conference brought thought- and prac- tice-leaders from around the world to Celebrate Fresh in the Big Apple in a big way. The electricity of the city energized the Dec. 10-13 event, which facilitated networking and showed participants how to better market produce.
In its ninth year in The City That Never Sleeps, the show attracted attendees from throughout North America and other places, including Latin America, Europe, Africa, China and Russia. The Dec. 12 trade show, in the Jacob Javits Center, New York’s largest convention center, allowed participants to connect with colleagues and increase sales in the produce indus- try’s largest xed-site show.
“This is a great show. It’s one of the best. It’s the second largest in North America,” observes Cece Krumrine, the Nashua, NH-based retail account manager of the National Mango Board, who has been attending the show since its beginning. “We make good contacts. A lot of produce
BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
store managers come to our booth. There’s a good mix of people from retail, foodser- vice and wholesale. Doesn’t everyone love New York at Christmas?”
New York is a good place to do business, particularly during the holiday season, says Rich Dachman, Sysco’s vice president of produce. “There’s great networking,” he says. “Being where it is and when it is, the show is special for everyone. I think every- body would love to be in New York this time of the year and combine it with good business and a great event.”
The Dec. 12 Perishable Pundit keynote breakfast “Thought Leader” panel included leaders from the industry’s buying segments commenting on the changing retailing dynamic, which includes omni-channel merchandising.
“We are seeing cataclysmic changes,” says Tony Stallone, vice president of merchandising for online grocer Peapod, LLC. “We are dealing with customers online. We have to be everywhere the customer wants to be. We respect our
competitors. However, a big impediment is the supply chain, which doesn’t always work well for online and omni-channel retailing. It’s not just a retail problem. It’s everyone’s problem. How can we sell more products to more people?”
Gary York, vice president of sales and marketing for Robinson Fresh, enjoyed the retail breakfast and abundance of networking. “You’re always learning things that allow you to adjust to the changing environment within the produce industry,” he says.
The show maintains a strong whole- sale representation, attracting wholesalers from throughout the East Coast, including Atlanta’s Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice. “There’s a lot of interaction with this show,” says David Collins III, president. “We are seeing new and different things.”
Secaucus, NJ’s Maurice A. Auerbach’s booth captured buyers entering the show oor. “There is great interaction here. This show is perfect,” says Bruce Klein, director of marketing.
NYPS2 JANUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
‘We like the fact that there are different types of buyers and customers here, including retailers of many types, wholesalers, caterers, restaurants and institutions.’
— Stefanie Katzman, S. Katzman Produce