With beautiful Austin, TX, as the backdrop for this year’s Viva Fresh April 20 – 22 at the Hilton Austin & Convention Center, the onion industry is well-positioned among the 175 exhibitors in the expo – and OnionBusiness.com will be there to provide real-time video and photo reports for strategic social media updates.
According to the show’s website, www.vivafreshexpo.com, participation is high among all market sectors, with grower/shippers making up more than half the attendance. A website graph shows retail/foodservice at 34 percent, grower/shippers at 52 percent, wholesale at 4 percent, brokers at 5 percent and “others” at 16 percent.
Viva Fresh is billed as the “#1 trending regional trade show,” hosted by the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) as a means to highlight the “Gateway to the Americas” and also showcase produce from both the United States and Mexico.
Some of the heaviest hitters in the onion industry will be manning booths on the floor, including our friends from Mesilla Valley Produce in New Mexico, Tex Mex Sales LLC in Texas, Volm Companies in Wisconsin, NewStar Fresh Foods in California, Potandon Produce in Idaho, Pro-Health LLC in Colorado, Fox Packaging/Solutions in Texas, Rio Fresh in Texas, South Tex Organics in Texas, Wada Farms Marketing in Idaho, Bland Farms in Georgia, Bushmans in Wisconsin, Peri and Sons in Nevada, RPE in Wisconsin, Shuman Produce in Georgia and The Onion House in Texas.
The show’s schedule is packed with great sessions and activities, starting with the Third Annual Viva Fresh Golf Tournament on Thursday, April 20, at the Crenshaw Cliffside Golf Course. The tourney will raise funds for salad bars in Texas schools in what’s sure to be friendly but fierce competition.
Friday will include a number of educational sessions, including Fresh Produce RX, How Technology and Marketing Drive Growth, Know GMOs, Ripening Education with the National Mango Board, a virtual tour of Red Sun Farms and welcome receptions.
The Keynote Luncheon will be presented Friday starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Hilton Salon FGH on the Sixth Floor, with Dr. David and Catherine Katz returning to share personal and professional tips on nutrition, preventive medicine and healthy eating. Dr. Katz is known for his work with Preventive Medicine, and Catherine “puts this work into practice through Cuisinicity.com, a collection of healthy recipes that have been widely featured on national media including ABC News, O Magazine, Shape, Fitness and many more. The result is an approach to optimal eating they refer to as “loving food that loves you back.”
The luncheon served the keynote will also include some of Catherine’s favorite Cuisinicity recipes.
Saturday features the Grand Opening Ceremony of the expo from 10:30-11 a.m., and the show will run through 4:30 p.m. Watch for OnionBusiness.com reps Sherise Jones and Molly John!
For registration information, go to http://vivafreshexpo.com/attendee-registration/.
See you there!
