ORANGE, CA – Any produce person that’s made it through at least one full show season, knows that an industry event is a key time to shine. From a well-designed booth to newly formed connections, a successful show can leave you with a buzz that lasts past the closing events. For FreshSource, LLC, one of its most important expos of the year is FPFC SoCal; allowing the company and its clients a chance to dazzle the industry.
National Director of Marketing Natalie Machado and National Director of Retail Dave Juarez took the time to sit down with me and divulge not only what made this year’s event a success, but how FPFC SoCal primes FreshSource and its clients for yearlong success.
“Our goal is to provide the highest quality of sales, merchandising, and retail support possible, and deliver the most innovative and exciting products from around the globe,” Dave says. “Our drive is to help our clients make distinctive, lasting, and substantial bonds with retailers and consumers. Participating in FPFC SoCal Expos provide many services to our clients.”
This year, FreshSource broke a new record by representing 23 clients at across a total of 18 booths. The event was held on July 18, 2017, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA.
Boasting a captivating environment, the company housed a 60 by 40 ft section of floor, designed and built entirely by the FreshSource team. Assembled by hand, the company utilized reclaimed produce pallets and reused lumber to promote sustainability, in addition to giving a warm ambiance that was met with much acclaim.
“We always put serious time and effort into our area to make it as nice as possible,” Natalie shares. “This year was well worth it. The joy on our clients’ faces was priceless, and we noticed a lot of retailers would come back and hang out in our booth after making their rounds.”
FreshSource’s primary attraction was its Chefs Tasting Station. The company had three chefs from Mastro’s Ocean Club on-hand to delight attendees with seven gourmet sample dishes, all using its clients products. This feature not only attracted more people into its area, but also introduced client’s products to produce retailers in a tangible way.
Some of FreshSource’s clients were as follows, in addition to a few others, which marked one of the largest consecutive areas across the event:
- Taylor Farms
- Gourmet Garden
- Zola
- Little Potato Co
- Wildbrine
- Setton Farms
- North Shore Living Herbs
- Pete's Living Greens
- GloriAnn Farms
- Wholly Guacamole
- Sundia
- U Gottabee Nutz
- Bland Farms
- MPK Foods
- House Foods
At the entrance to the area, clients ads were continuously projected during the show on two TV towers, and one across the Chefs Tasting Station. FreshSource employees were also assigned to specific zones in the area, assisting clients with product setup and support during the event.
"We at FreshSource really want to continue raising the bar for our clients and set new standards industry wide!" Natalie concluded.
After six years of participation, FreshSource is looking forward to utilizing its expo strategy of design, advertisements, and product support for next year’s event as well. Creating a buzz, that will follow its clients all year round.
