Collaboration rules at United Fresh
The opening day of United Fresh 2015 was all about forging collaborative alliances. You could sense this collaboration all around you. And by “sense,” I mean all the senses.
We heard plenty about the co-location of the event with the Food Marketing Institute and the International Floriculture Expo. It’s a promising cross-pollination for retailers to explore, and plenty of people were going back and forth between the United and floriculture show spaces.
At one particular point in the aisle separating the two shows, one could experience a unique combination of aromas from the Wholly Guacamole booth on one side and bouquets of flowers on the other. The olfactory blend was unusual to say the least, but actually quite pleasant.
More collaboration will be in evidence next year, as United Fresh will co-locate with a trade show put on by the Global Cold Chain Alliance. It’s a logical fit for those involved in fresh produce and an even more snug fit for those who are involved in other types of produce processing, especially fresh. There is still quite a bit more warehouse space dedicated to frozen foods than fresh, for the simple reason that that frozen products can spend more time in the system. But fresh is becoming more important, and we look forward to collaborating with GCCA to explore all elements of how produce gets from farm to table.
The Wednesday sessions will feature plenty more about teamwork, including a breakfast talk from “da coach” himself, Mike Ditka. I’ll be covering and tweeting from educational sessions covering disruptive technology and the future of genetically-modified produce.
