Nelia Alamo Details Markon's IFPA Foodservice Platform; Highlights Banner Year

SALINAS, CA - Setting the stage in 2025 to commemorate a year of meaningful milestones and forward momentum, Markon is celebrating its 40th anniversary with its sights set on the IFPA Foodservice Conference. Known for its steadfast commitment to innovation, integrity, and operational excellence, the company is using this year’s event to reflect not only on its continued evolution within the fresh produce industry but also on the strategic growth and partnerships that have helped shape its trajectory.

“Markon is proudly celebrating 40 years as the trusted leader in foodservice for the fresh produce industry,” Nelia Alamo, Vice President of Marketing, shares with me. “Through our member distributors, we consistently deliver high-quality, innovative products designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s chefs and operators.”

Markon’s program is built around member-exclusive products, K-12 solutions, and expanded multi-unit restaurant support for this year’s IFPA Foodservice platform. Let’s take a look:

Nelia highlights some of the products and initiatives to discover:

• Member exclusive products: We offer unique items such as our chef-created Ready-Set-Serve Bistro Butter Blend, Ready-Set-Serve Authentic Guacamole available in convenient 1/9 pans that fit directly into kitchen lines, and the newly branded Markon First Crop Living Butter Lettuce, which is sustainably grown with 90 percent less water and land usage than conventionally grown lettuce. The attached roots keep heads fresher longer, extending shelf life.
• Robust K-12 solutions: Markon aids school foodservice operators in navigating supply needs with delicious, nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable products.
• Expanded multi-unit restaurant support: WE emphasize our capability to consistently deliver fresh produce through a broad distribution network across the U.S. and Canada.

"Markon provides a distinctive combination of produce offerings specifically designed for the foodservice market. We surpass industry food safety standards to keep our customers’ ingredients as fresh and safe as possible. We pass on the benefits achieved through our cooperative to our customers,” Nelia expresses.

Solutions-oriented, Markon is always proactive in its approach to executing on the foodservice front, collaborating closely with members’ corporate chefs to quickly identify emerging needs and trends in modern kitchens—from new flavor profiles to labor-saving solutions.

“We work together with our trusted grower and processor partners to create new and innovative products that cater to the specific foodservice needs of our members’ customers,” Nelia says. “Markon maintains strong connections to the industry through ongoing operator engagement. We achieve this by hosting in-person customer tours in key growing regions throughout the year. During these events, we get firsthand recommendations and requests from our members’ foodservice operator customers. Markon also values insights from our supplier partnerships, trusting them to deliver custom solutions tailored to the foodservice industry.”

Looking to learn more about Markon and join in on the festive 40th anniversary occasion? Stop by IFPA Foodservice booth #500. See you all in Monterey!