Thursday, December 6
New York Hilton

Produce Import & Export:
The Disruption of Established Markets

7:00-8:00 pm Registration

8:15-9:00 am Continental Breakfast

8:30-8:45 am General Session / Welcome Remarks
by Jim Prevor/President and CEO Produce Business & PerishablePundit.com

9:15-10:00 am How to Reach Generation Z: Don’t Give Me Advertising, Deliver Me an Experience
Recognizing the importance of the next wave of fresh produce consumers, leading Dutch fruit importer Cool Fresh has undertaken a unique research project with Dutch students to analyze how best to communicate with the so-called Generation Z. Cool Fresh’s Nic Jooste will present some of the key points that have come out of focus groups and other research work carried out with hundreds of 14-21 year olds. He will then explain how his business intends to use the findings to help its customers improve their communication with the next group of economically active shoppers.

Presenter:
Nic Jooste, Marketing Director / Cool Fresh International, Ridderkerk, The Netherlands

10:00-10:45 am UK’s Under 40 Leaders: Building a Network of Business Opportunities
Join Charles Dunn as he tells a journey of how the traditional family farm boy from a 200-plus-year old company meets the UK “under 40’s fruit growers” and is catapulted into a realm of networks and business opportunities around the world.

Presenter:
Charles Dunn, Chandler and Dunn Ltd. Canaterbury, Kent, United Kingdom and Chairman of UK Under 40s Fruit Growers Committee, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

10:45-11:00 am Break

11:00-11:45 am Corporate Social Responsibility in Mexico: How Whole Foods, Fair Trade and the Workers and Management of One Company Work Together to Make a Difference
Corporate Social Responsibility is one of the buzzwords of our times, but in Mexico, Campos Borquez and its customers make it happen — and they are making a significant impact. Sergio Borquez will outline how his family’s company is working with like-minded organizations and the end consumer to ensure that every step of the value-chain has CSR at its core. Sergio will illustrate that getting the process consistently right for just one product and one retailer can provide real sustainability and potentially save thousands of lives.

Presenter:
Sergio Borquez, Grape Harvest Manager / Campos Borquez, Sonora, Mexico

11:45 am-12:30 pm The ‘Dutch Approach’ to Increasing Produce Consumption
In a country with 16 political parties, one of the special attributes of people in the Netherlands is their ability to form coalitions between economy and society, producers, retailers, businesses, schools, government,… all the segments that can be impacted
by the issues and play a role in the solving problems… in this case, increasing produce consumption.
Backed by research conducted by a powerhouse marketing firm and facilitated through Wageningen University and other partners, an effort was undertaken to improve consumption of “light users” by presenting food in different ways to boost mindful eating. This presentation will give insights into consumer behavior as well as how a coalition of groups can rally around a common cause to create significant change.

Presenter:
Gert Mulder, CEO/Fresh Produce Center/ GroentenFruit Huis, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

12:30-1:15 pm Think Different — Working Luncheon

1:15-1:30 pm Open Discussion on Previous Sessions

1:30-2:45 pm The ‘Dutch Approach’ to Increasing Produce Consumption
If you think the US and Canada are the only markets for imported produce from Latin American countries, you might want to think again…Asia and Europe are competing for the best products grown in these countries and, in many cases, their importers will pay top dollar for the best quality product. Join our panel for a thoughtful discussion on the latest developments in Free Trade Agreements, logistics opportunities, and other elements contributing to expansion of international trade from these countries.

Panel Moderator: Gustavo Yentzen, CEO/ Yentzen Consulting
Presenter:
Horrys Friaca, DVM, PhD / Agricultural Attache to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington DC
Maykool Lopez, Costa Rica Director General & Trade Commissioner, Trade office of Costa Rica in New York / PROCOMER
Karina Amaluisa, Trade Commissioner of Ecuador in New York
Diego Giaz, Guatemala Trade Commissioner in New York
Mildred S. Ruiz, Mexico Trade and Investment Director in New York
Conrado Falco, Trade Commissioner Peru

2:45-3:00 pm How Berries Became the Number One Fruit Category in the Uk and the Challenges the Category Faces Post Brexit
The berry industry in the UK is a $1.5 billion industry at retail. Ten years ago, it was around $300 million. It is now the Number One category, contributing 20 percent of fruit category sales and an annual growth rate in excess of 16 percent.
This session will show how the berry category has grown in the past 10 years, and how it has evolved as a year-round product with local production and imports. Many micro-economic factors have contributed to the success, but there has also been tremendous leverage gained by a year-round consumer PR campaign that British Summer Fruits supports. This session will look at the effectiveness of that campaign and give some examples of best PR practices.

Presenter:
Laurence Olins, J.P., B.Com. Hons, Chairman, Poupart Group, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, UK / Chairman, British Summer Fruit, London, England

3:00-3:45 pm Reincarnating the Auction Clock Method of Selling on a Global Scale
With a 100-year history of produce transactions done via a clock auction, the Cooperative Growers’ Association (ZON) has seen many changes over the years. As “relationship-selling” has forced auction selling to diminish, growers have seen their returns fall. The impersonal nature of auction-selling and the true supply-and-demand forces of each day result in a better return to the growers, so there is a move to bring back the auction clock on a bigger global scale.
This presentation will bring us up-to-date on the reincarnation of the Dutch auction system and how its methods can be used on a global scale with collaboration from retail.
Presenter:
Michiel F. Van Ginkel, Managing Director / ZON Holding B.V., Venlo, Holland, Dutch Produce Association, Zoetermeer, Holland

3:45-4:30 pm From Retail Fruit Buyer to Harvester: An Agricultural Odyssey to Understand the Industry From a Grower’s Perspective
When Fruit Buyer Amy Lance was given the opportunity to take a 12-month sabbatical from UK retailer Waitrose, she jumped at the chance to gain real-life experience working with growers in different regions of the world. With tickets to California, Senegal and South Africa, Amy set out on her agricultural odyssey, worked in the fields of a fruit grower in California, then she trekked across the world to Senegal for work in the fields with a grower-exporter of row crops. Now Amy is planning for her final trip to South Africa scheduled in April 2017. Amy will be speaking about what she has learnt during her sabbatical and how this is helping her to gain a better understanding of the needs of growers so she can apply that knowledge back into her fruit buying role.
Presenter:
Amy Lance,Fruit Buyer / Waitrose, Bracknell, Berkshire, England

4:30-4:45 pm Wrap-up