WASHINGTON, DC - The Organic Trade Association will be hosting its first-ever buyers mission at the annual Organic Produce Summit on July 10-11 in Monterey, California. The event is committed to bringing together organic fresh produce growers, shippers, and processors with retailer and buying organizations from across the nation, and it is the only show in the U.S. in the organic produce sector.
"We are thrilled to be leading a team for the first time at this important produce show," said Alexis Carey, Manager of International Trade. "Facilitating direct connections between the decision makers of major international retailers and U.S. organic produce operations will undoubtedly grow the foreign market for U.S. organic fresh produce."
According to a press release, there will be a half-dozen international buyers from Mexico and the Pacific Rim countries at the summit that the Organic Trade Association will be hosting. Mexico and the Pacific Rim countries are a few of the U.S.'s largest trading partners for fresh produce, making the buyers mission especially vital.
Further, it will also give leading produce retailers the opportunity to meet with buyers from major foreign retailers in the U.S. With pre-arranged coordinated one-on-one meetings, it will provide a space separate from the summit activities where buyers and suppliers have dedicated time to discuss potential export partnerships on July 10.
The International buyers invited include:
- Mi Caja Fresca from Mexico
- Bio c'Bon of Japan
- EMART Inc. and SPC Co., both of Korea
- Frutodor Ltd. of Hong Kong
- Waltermart Supermarket Inc. of the Philippines
In 2018, U.S. exports of organic fresh produce to the countries attending the summit totaled nearly $180 million.
The USDA Market Access Program-funded activities are open to the entire organic industry, not just association members.
As stated in a press release, all of the products promoted must be USDA certified organic, produced in the U.S., and made of 51 percent or more of U.S.-based ingredients either by value (cost of the ingredients) or volume (against overall weight of the product). This is the federal USDA regulation for participation.
In further connection to the buyers mission, the Organic Produce Summit includes retailer and buyer field tours, educational sessions featuring the nation's leading organic food industry experts, and an exhibition featuring 148 growers, shippers, and processors from across North America showcasing their organic fresh produce items.
On July 11, during the morning educational sessions, the Organic Trade Association's CEO and Executive Director Laura Batcha will be a panelist along with Steve Lutz, Regional Vice President of the Produce Marketing Association, in a session entitled "Organic Sales and Consumer Purchasing Analysis," moderated by Kevin Coupe of MorningNewsBeat.com. Also, the Organic Trade Association will exhibit at the show at Tabletop TT4.
For updates on the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Produce Summit, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow.
