<p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/img_4866.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 3rd 2014" />Hats off to another eventful and exciting CPMA 89th Annual Convention and Trade Show. Last week, from April 2 – 4, industry members rendezvoused in Vancouver, B.C. to witness the latest and greatest in the produce industry, while catching up with old friends and making new ones. There were over 250 exhibiting companies, 9 countries represented on the trade show floor, 52 companies participating in the New Product Showcase (or as we would like to call it…Innovations in Produce), well over 4000 registrants and 3 booth winners.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Drum roll please… the winners this year for best booth were:</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><B>1st Place:</b> Peak of the Market<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img style="width:500px"src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/img_0599.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 3rd 2014" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><B>2nd Place:</b> Mexico Pavilion</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><B>3rd Place:</b> Fresh Direct Produce<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">It may have been a cool trip in Vancouver this past week, but CPMA’s new product showcase hosted an array of innovative and exciting items that helped to heat up the fresh produce event.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/curry.jpg" alt="040614" />Fresh Direct Produce, among the top tier of booth beauties, showcased the company’s new Simply Hot Curry Set, an ideal item for the Canadian market as growing Asian populations become leading consumer demographics. Being a Thai food enthusiast, this is the perfect meal setup for me. The Red, Green and Yellow Curry offerings provide a vegetable selection specific to each dish with a recipe to follow. Medium or hot? You choose.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/manntray.jpg" alt="040614" />It's never too early to start daydreaming about the summer and with Mann Packing’s new Summer Fun Vegetable Tray with creamy ranch as well as its Veggies and Sabra Hummus tray, we can taste that bit of summer just on the horizon.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/topline.jpg" alt="040614" />Topline Farms asks consumers to simply rinse drizzle and enjoy with its new Topline Creations offering with veggies and flavored infused olive oil for a snack or an addition to a salad. Half the reason I tend to refrain from traveling with or transporting olive oil is because the process can be messy. This item takes the challenge out of it with a new solution for the tasty combination.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/earthfresh.jpg" alt="040614" />Another item that caught my eye was the new Light Blocking Potato Bags from EarthFresh. These new bags are presented in a usage color coded system for best cooking usage and are made using metalized plastic. The new material utilizes a metalized low-density polyethylene for the four varieties of potatoes. Strip metallizing provides product visibility while blocking most of the light that could reach the potatoes in a standard poly bag. Light exposure causes potatoes to turn green and at times bitter. The innovation more than triples the shelf life to 21 days.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/windset.jpg" alt="040614" />Be sure to check out Windset Farms’ new sweet, flavorful and juicy greenhouse SOPRANO Strawberries. Keep an eye out for RAAW Juices’ flavor creations as well. RAAW presents a host of 100% pure fruit and vegetable juice blends in 9 flavor combinations from Very Berry Wheatgrass to Better Beets and Pineapple Cucumber. You won’t be let down.<img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/raaw.jpg" alt="040614" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img style="width:500px" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/freshex.jpg" alt="040614" />As the bagged salad and packaged greens categories continue to grow and bacon takes on more recipes than I can count, Chiquita highlighted the company’s Bacon Caesar Salad Kit at CPMA as well as its baby kale and spinach juicing greens and ready to prepare cooking greens with olive oil garlic sea salt and pepper.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Other award winners included:</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>- Mary Fitzgerald Award presented by Les Mallard of Chiquita to Steve Young from the Oppenheimer Group</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>- CPMA Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Rick Wallis, to Mr. John Sears</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>- The Packer Person of the Year Award presented by Shannon Shuman to Mr. Walt Breeden</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>With a show as impressive as this, there will be more stories to follow…so stay tuned!</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.cpma.ca" target="_new"> CPMA</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
