Fresh Produce and Floral Council Wraps 2026 Holiday Showcase: Bob Lanter, Staci Burke, Erin Tice, and More Comment

COSTA MESA, CA - In the words of Jake Cadwallader, Produce, Floral and Quality Control Director, Stater Bros. Markets, on balancing the needs of our industry: Let’s do this together because we need each other, and when we do that, we are unstoppable.

On August 26 and 27, the Fresh Produce and Floral Council (FPFC) brought the West Coast's supply-side and buy-side together at the Westin South Coast Plaza for the 2026 Produce and Floral Holiday Showcase—two days built around education and connection while showcasing products in time for the calendar's biggest selling moments, from Halloween and Thanksgiving to Día de los Muertos and Super Bowl Sunday.

"Our industry makes the holidays happen," Bob Lanter, President of the Fresh Produce and Floral Council, said in announcing the Showcase earlier this year. "It's time to bring its people together to plan, sell, and buy in preparation for traditions that add color to our lives and bring sales to our businesses."

That sentiment carried through to the exhibit floor, where Veronica Rodarte, Chair of the FPFC Executive Committee—who also serves as Director of Sales and Commodity Management for Chili, Tropicals and Herbs at Progressive Produce—took on double duty as the Showcase's emcee.

“If you take one idea back to your company this afternoon, we have done our job,” Veronica shared with attendees as she shared FPFC’s desire to open up education and candid conversations to help deepen the community of those in the room.

The Showcase opened Wednesday afternoon with the Fresh and Fierce: Women's Leadership Summit—the first in the council’s history that was women’s only! Keynoted by Karen Caplan, the former Chief Executive Officer and President of Frieda's Branded Produce, she gave her top ten tips on a rich professional and personal life to a crowd that was actively hanging on every word.

Then the Fresh and Fierce Panel took the stage with Moderator Alex Jackson, Frieda's Branded Produce, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, who put her queries to an impressive panel, including Natalia Merienne, Avocado Queen Founder and CEO, Aimee Bach, First Fruit Farms Business Development Manager, Cagney Miller B Fresh Floral’s Designer and Sales Director, Staci Burke, Oppy’s Director of Port and Distribution Operations, and Erin Liu, Vesta Food Service’s Key Account Manager.

As the panel shared their experience and wisdom, a consistent message throughout their diverse backgrounds was how much success was built on saying yes to an opportunity even if you aren’t sure you’re ready.

“Raise your hand even if it’s shaking,” Staci stated meaningfully, a mantra that would ring out through the rest of the event.

From there, attendees split into two tracks for the afternoon. The Produce Summit brought in Tom Barnes, CEO of Category Partners, alongside buyers and executives from Stater Bros., Sprouts, Cal Fresco, and Oppy, digging into how retailers are shaping category strategy heading into the season.

“I think about FPFC, about this conference—I remember coming to this conference in the 90s, and I got so much out of it,” Erin Tice, National Senior Category Manager, Sprouts Farmers Market, shared in discussing what impacted her industry network. Then, on what kept her interested, she referred to the room at large. “This whole team here, what I’m looking at—it’s family. People don’t leave this industry because they honestly live it. There’s a passion there, and if you’re passionate, your team members will be passionate…I have never stopped learning in produce.”

Across the hall, the Floral Summit gathered floral leadership from Gelson's, Raley's, Albertsons and Bristol Farms, moderated by Paige Venable of Vallarta Supermarkets.

The evening closed with a Welcome and Opening Reception that brought both rooms back together to open the Showcase on the Westin's beautiful terrace.

Thursday moved quickly. After breakfast, the Opening Plenary brought a keynote from David Hinojosa, CEO of Heritage Group, who shared his globe-trotting path through retail and the importance of people and culture, plus the presentation of FPFC's industry awards and the graduation of its current Apprentice Program class.

Congratulations Awardees

A heartfelt congratulations to the following award recipients:

• Buz Bolstad Produce Member of the Year: Bryan Presley, Albertsons

• Andy Matsui Floral Member of the Year: John DeBruyn, Mountain View Nursery

• Trailblazer of the Year Jan DeLyzer Award: Kori Martin, Oppy

The morning's educational breakouts framed a number of topics into accessible and conversational panels. The first block paired Chelsea Carbahal of CMC Strategies on crisis communications with Kristen Reid of MIXTEC Group on C-suite perspective, Beth O'Reilly of Dutchess Bouquets on trend-forward floral design, and Bianca Fiedler of Zespri on what she called produce's most invisible competitive advantage.

The second block turned toward compliance and business strategy: June Monroe of Fennemore Law on the FSMA 204 traceability rule, Aimee Smith of Healthy Family Project on value-alignment marketing, Taylor Triffo of KSC Lawyers with a 2026 legislative update, and Vern Kettler of Matsui Nursery on the business behind selling orchids.

A networking lunch with business buyer meetings led into the main event: the exhibit hall opened, giving buyers and attendees the afternoon to walk the intimate booth setup and source Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more in one pass. Retail teams on the floor included Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Safeway, Stater Bros., Raley's, Walmart Connect, Sprouts, UNFI, Save Mart, Superior Grocers, Cardenas, Vallarta Supermarkets, Gelson's, and Smart & Final, among others.

As the event wound down with so many handshakes and conversations, enjoying a loud and bustling show floor, Jake’s words continued to resonate.

“It's the relationships that catapult us and ignite what we can do together,” he said. And isn’t that what gatherings like the FPFC Holiday Showcase are all about?

Even as things come to a close, we’ll have more from Costa Mesa in the days ahead, so keep an eye out for more from this evolving event.