ORLANDO, FL - Of any food category on the planet, fresh produce is by far the most versatile, colorful, and healthy, inspiring flavors and sensory experiences worldwide. Dates are one of those special niches of fresh produce that continue to inspire and aspire—providing retailers and foodservice companies with category lift, nutrient-dense benefits, and differentiation in the produce department. As we ramp up for the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Summit, Adam Cooper, Chief Executive Officer of Oasis Dates, joins me to discuss what the brand and transforming company is up to and what customers can look forward to from the category as the new year wraps and 2027 heats up.

Oasis is preparing to debut new messaging and content initiatives to the trade and consumer, timed around IFPA. What's the core message you want attendees and retailers to walk away with?

Adam Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Oasis Dates: As one of North America's largest date growers and processors, Oasis Dates delivers the highest-quality Medjool dates to retail partners and is a collaborative partner in helping to introduce shoppers to dates’ health benefits.

Our marketing campaign, Earth’s Most Versatile Fruit™, will be history-making and will drive consumers specifically to the Oasis Dates brand. This will increase demand by highlighting our three pillars to consumers: Oasis Dates are a Healthy Sweet Treat, Natural Energy Boost, and Culinary Secret Weapon™. We want attendees to leave our booth seeing what the date category can become, with the Oasis Dates brand, product innovation, advertising, and in-store merchandising leading an acceleration of growth.

What challenges in the category is this messaging built to address?

AC: Our messaging highlights just how versatile and useful Medjool dates are. In our planning stage, we conducted the world's largest consumer research study on date consumption to learn how to reach shoppers where they are, and discovered that one of the biggest challenges for this industry is lack of awareness and education about dates. As a result, our campaign messaging, Earth’s Most Versatile Fruit™, is built around helping consumers see the versatility of the dates and multiple ways they can fit into their routines and lifestyles.

What does the product portfolio look like that you'll be highlighting at the show?

AC: We will debut our entire product portfolio of seven unique items at the show, ranging from organic and conventional, whole and pitted Medjool dates and our innovative Boosted items: Cinnamon Oat Gut Health Date Boost and Salted Caramel Energy Date Boost. We’ll also showcase our cart-stopping shipper displays for both the Medjool and Boost product lines, bringing the bold imagery of our Earth’s Most Versatile Fruit™ campaign into the store.

Retailers have reportedly been coming to you with their own ideas rather than the other way around; what's an example of that entrepreneurial back-and-forth?

AC: We’ve had a very collaborative relationship with our retailer launch partners, and many have been refreshed to see a leader finally enter this category with innovative merchandising and products.

For example, Kroger challenged us to create new merchandising solutions for the Oasis Dates launch, including new displays focused on our Date Boost innovation and large-scale displays to promote our high-ring, no-shrink, organic Medjool dates during the upcoming holiday season. This reflects a collaborative partnership and confidence in Oasis to execute a huge program.

You mentioned exploring the NFL playoffs/Super Bowl as a new occasion for dates, backed by consumer research. How central is that push to the 2026/2027 roadmap?

AC: Our team is always looking for cultural moments where Oasis Dates fit naturally. Our consumer research showed that football watch parties, especially Super Bowl watch parties, are a promising new occasion for consumption. Inspired by these insights, we will be showcasing the industry’s first-ever football date display to encourage shoppers at the point of sale to add bacon-wrapped dates to their football snacking menu in addition to adding a healthy sweet treat to their charcuterie boards.

This is another example of the versatility of our marketing program, which will expand to other new consumption occasions in the future.

Check out booth # 1301 at the show and meet with the Oasis Dates team. See you all in Orlando!

ATLANTA, GA – As some companies transform their business models, they think about the best next step. Others think about the entire system. This is the space where Georgia-Pacific lives and thrives, constantly focusing and refocusing its solutions on what customers need, and how that fits into an ecosystem of opportunities for the client, the retailer, the consumer, and the planet. As we quickly approach the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, Lauren Campen, Senior Manager of Public Affairs and Communications—Packaging, took a moment to discuss the many things that Georgia-Pacific has in store for attendees and how differentiation equals value.

"We're bringing a diverse packaging program to the GPFS this year," Lauren begins. "We think differently about corrugated trays, display boxes, and more. Through Hummingbird, our digital print solution, we help brands bring their story to the box in weeks, not months. Add in Sterling Coated Rollstock, our protective, printable, and brand-enhancing coating, and we help our customers take their brand a step further. We also offer low minimums, the flexibility to run seasonal or promotional SKUs on a single roll, and a separate recycling program through GP Recycling that keeps the sustainability story going strong."

With that produce-centric mindset for GPFS, Georgia-Pacific will be bringing a version of its expansive watermelon box, built to withstand the weight of the fruit while showcasing digital design all at once. This is just one example of a solution that can tell many stories.

Georgia-Pacific will also have team members on hand at the show to talk about recycling, sustainability, and stewardship, elevating its strategy and circularity story for customers. These capabilities usually live in separate departments, but for Georgia-Pacific they are part of the same story. The team that builds the brand on the shelf can also help turn what many companies write off as waste, or wasted time, into value.

Make it a priority to stop by Georgia-Pacific's booth #2501 to learn more about the team behind multifaceted packaging solutions and how they see the circular system as good for the business as it is for the Earth.

BLANDON, PA - Giorgio, one of the nation’s leading mushroom growers and suppliers, is bringing its recently refreshed brand to life with a strategic focus on where purchasing decisions happen: at the shelf and around the meal.

At its upcoming trade show appearance, Giorgio will showcase how its new brand identity extends beyond updated packaging and graphics to create a stronger connection between the brand, the retailer and the consumer. The company’s booth will highlight its fresh mushroom and value-added portfolio while demonstrating how merchandising, meal inspiration and usage occasions can help translate shelf presence into consumer demand.

“Our rebrand was never intended to simply give Giorgio a new look. It was designed to make the brand work harder at the shelf,” said Bryan Shelton, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Giorgio, in the recent release. “We want our packaging, products, and marketing to help consumers quickly understand what they can do with mushrooms and give retailers more opportunities to connect the category to meals and occasions. When we can move the conversation from ‘buy mushrooms’ to ‘here’s what you can make tonight,’ we create a much stronger platform for category growth.”

That strategy will come to life throughout the booth under Giorgio’s “Real Food. Served Fresh.” message, connecting fresh ingredients with approachable meal solutions and everyday eating occasions.

Celebrity Chef Ralph Pagano will be on-site preparing fresh samples and demonstrating how Giorgio products can move beyond traditional applications and become part of a wider range of meals, sides, and snacking occasions. The culinary experience is designed to give customers a firsthand look at how Giorgio is thinking beyond the package, using flavor, convenience, and inspiration to help drive incremental consumption.

The booth will also showcase Vita Sana Sol limes from Colombia, expanding the fresh-food conversation beyond mushrooms. Known for their juiciness and high-quality eating experience, the Colombian-grown limes complement Giorgio’s focus on fresh ingredients that can bring flavor and versatility to the plate.

Together, mushrooms and fresh limes help reinforce a broader message around how consumers actually shop and cook: not by individual categories, but by meals, flavors and occasions.

“Today’s consumer is looking for fresh food that is approachable, flavorful and easy to incorporate into everyday life,” said Mark Currie, CEO of The Giorgi Companies. “Our opportunity is to think beyond what happens inside a single category. By connecting great products with culinary inspiration and stronger merchandising, we can help our retail partners create more reasons for consumers to buy, use and come back to fresh.”

The trade show activation represents the next phase of Giorgio’s broader brand evolution, which draws on the company’s nearly 100-year heritage while positioning the business for its next chapter of growth. The refreshed identity is designed to create greater consistency and recognition across the portfolio while giving Giorgio a stronger platform for innovation, consumer communication and retail activation.

For Giorgio, that means approaching the shelf as more than a place to display product. Packaging, merchandising, culinary inspiration and marketing all have a role in helping consumers understand how products fit into their lives.

“Ultimately, the shelf has to do more than communicate what the product is,” Shelton added. “It should help create the idea, the occasion, and the reason to put that product in the basket. That is where we see the Giorgio brand continuing to evolve.”

Attendees can experience the refreshed Giorgio brand, chef-prepared samples, fresh and value-added mushroom offerings, and Vita Sana Sol Colombian limes at #3771.