This year, about 78,000 people attended the world’s largest trade show for fresh produce. Altogether, exhibitors and trade show visitors represented 130 countries, making for a truly global event. North America’s presence at Fruit Logistica is increasing as many involved in fresh produce know what this show has to offer. Those who haven’t made the trip across the pond are curious to find out what’s so special about this show.
Click here for the photo report of North American exhibitors.
World stage
‘Phenomenal’, ‘eye-opening’, ‘a must-go’ and ‘incredible’ are some of the words that came to mind when FreshPlaza asked a number of North America attendees about their experience in Berlin. “This was my first trip to Fruit Logistica and it was quite an eye-opening experience,” says Brenda Briggs with Rice Fruit Company. “The show is so much bigger than PMA and is truly a world stage,” she added. At the show, Briggs represented the US Apple Export Council and she was surprised by the number of apple varieties that were new to her. “Variety development was a strong point of the show, but packaging was also very interesting and, in many cases, different from what we see here in the US.”
Bronze Innovation Award
“In all my history of doing trade shows, Fruit Logistica 2019 was by far the busiest with the most qualified leads,” said Shannon Boase with CKF, Inc. Certainly, the company drew attention to the booth because of its strawberry punnet that was nominated for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award. “It was a real honor to even be nominated as we learned there were over 70 applications,” shared Boase. “To win the Bronze Award against formidable competition was truly gratifying. We believe that the level of interest in our packaging speaks to the consumers’ growing desire for less plastic and the realization that they have a voice when it comes to putting pressure on retailers to provide more options. Our type of packaging and the demand for it is a cultural shift and has surpassed a trend.”
CKF's top-sealable, compostable, recyclable strawberry punnet.
Desire to accomplish goals
Virginia-based Catalytic Generators was a first-time exhibitor in Berlin and the company’s President Greg Akins said it was incredible. “Given the time, travel and overall costs to exhibit, we found it a worthwhile investment. We were amazed with the number of people who wanted to talk about easy and safe ways to apply ethylene. One of our major goals was to showcase our products to EU ripeners, but we were also able to connect with ripeners across the globe.” Akins was in awe of the sheer size of the show. “The number of exhibitors, vast amount of attendees, and the desire by them to accomplish goals was impressive.”
Reinforce relationships
A show this size also has a downside: aching back and feet. Raul Millan and Ronnie Cohen of Vision Import Group walked the show and according to Cohen there was too much ground to cover and not enough time. The long days took its toll on the body. “However, this show is hands down the best place for us to see and talk to many of our grower partners in one place,” Cohen mentioned. “It helps us stay well-informed on anything new, but foremost it is an opportunity to reinforce the relationships with our grower partners from around the world. We always meet someone new of interest and come back home with more knowledge than we had before we attended,” he finished.
Raul Millan and Ronnie Cohen with Vision Import Group on the show floor.
The global element is also a reason for HLB Specialties to exhibit in Berlin. “It is a must as we have offices in Germany,” said Andres Ocampo. “In addition, many of our South American and Central American growers and freight forwarders also attend the show.” Ocampo noticed a larger availability of exotic offerings this year as well as the continuing trend of increased organic supplies. In addition, there is a big push towards innovative packaging materials as means to transition away from plastic,” he shared.
HLB's booth in Berlin with Andres Ocampo in the middle.
Click here for the photo report of North American exhibitors.