ORLANDO, FL - Elevated Foods, a company that connects small and mid-sized growers with retailers and markets through relationships and storytelling, is partnering with the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) to host a free Regenerative Agriculture Tour on Friday, October 16, during the 2026 Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida.
The second annual curated show floor tour will spotlight companies advancing regenerative agriculture through innovative farming practices, measurable outcomes, and long-term commitments to a more resilient food system. The experience is designed to move the conversation beyond terminology and demonstrate how regenerative agriculture companies are creating healthier soil, more efficient water use, and stronger farms that create opportunities for growers, retailers, and consumers.
- What: Regenerative Agriculture Tour hosted by Elevated Foods and IFPA
- When: Friday, October 16, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST
- Where: Tour begins at the IFPA Booth at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
- Who: Advanced registration is required and free for show attendees. The Regenerative Agriculture Tour is relevant for growers, retailers, supply chain professionals, procurement leaders, and sourcing, food safety and quality professionals.
Elevating the People Behind Regenerative Agriculture
Led by former retailer and GPFS Committee Chair Paul Kneeland, the tour will take attendees across the Global Show floor to meet companies advancing regenerative agriculture and to hear firsthand about their approaches, progress, and lessons. The experience supports meaningful change in agriculture by strengthening connections among the people who grow food, the markets, and the consumers they ultimately serve.
“There are small and mid-sized growers doing thoughtful, innovative work every day, but too often the people buying and eating their food never get to know who they are or why those practices matter,” said Paul Kneeland, vice president of sales for Elevated Foods, in the recent release. “This tour gives us an opportunity to make those connections visible, bring growers, retailers, and other industry leaders together for the same conversation, and show what regenerative agriculture can look like in practice. Our food system relies on this small but extraordinary group of growers and giving them a platform to share their work not only helps sustain their economic viability but also that of retailers and markets.”
Connecting the Farm to the Market
Elevated Foods launched in 2022 to connect growers with retailers and buyers, easing the mounting pressure on independent growers to divert attention from the field to marketing, outreach, sales, and supply chain logistics. Prioritizing and preserving growers’ unique stories, Elevated Foods also provides agricultural and market support to help strengthen those relationships.
Elevated Foods specializes in identifying local growers, coordinating crop planning and logistics, advancing soil-health practices, and sharing stories from farms and farming families with retailers to share with consumers. The company’s regenerative agriculture approaches are tailored to each grower’s crops, land, and growing conditions and can include practices to improve soil health, use water efficiently, and strengthen the farm’s long-term resilience.
“For Elevated Foods, storytelling is more than marketing. It can become part of the economic bridge between growers and markets. Our goal is to put the people who grow our food at the center of the story,” said Kneeland. “When retailers introduce consumers to a grower, a farm, and the practices behind the food on the shelf, we create transparency and connection that directly support the grower.”
A Growing Conversation Across the Produce Industry
IFPA has identified regenerative agriculture as a major focus of its sustainability efforts and is supporting grower-led approaches that align environmental performance with long-term economic viability and stronger market access.
“Regenerative agriculture becomes much more meaningful when we can connect the practice to an outcome and that outcome to a person,” said Tamara Muruetagoiena, vice president, sustainability at International Produce and Floral Association. “Attendees of the first Regenerative Agriculture Tour valued the opportunity to talk with growers, hear what they’re doing differently, and see how those practices positively influence the soil, water and crops. Elevated Foods is bringing this experience outside of the show floor to the growers, retailers and consumers that want to know where their food comes from and how it’s grown.”
The industry's focus is increasingly shifting from adopting regenerative agriculture practices to measuring what those practices accomplish. Elevated Foods is working with the food-testing and data company Edacious to help measure and communicate outcomes, including soil and water health, crop data, and nutrient density.
The Global Produce & Floral Show brings together produce and floral professionals from throughout the global supply chain to explore industry trends, business opportunities and emerging ideas. To register and view the show schedule, visit here.
