Sold-Out Viva Fresh 2026 Wraps Record-Breaking Expo; Dante Galeazzi, Kim Andreason, and More Comment

SAN ANTONIO, TX - The clock we have been watching tick down on the home page of the 2026 Viva Fresh Expo is now at 00:00:00. 

2,800 attendees had turned out by the time I checked in with Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) the day of the expo, with more still collecting badges to join the floor of 199 exhibitors. With 380 buyers across foodservice and retail, from H-E-B, Albertsons, Sysco, Sobeys, and several more perusing the booths as well, it was quite a setting to behold after a culmination of two days of networking, educational, and entertaining activities. 

Rewinding to the first day of events, Thursday, April 16, pickleball and golf tournaments, a wine experience on the grounds of the JW Marriott, and glowing events across a welcoming San Antonio background made for a splash landing to the earliest arrivals. Energy hummed and noise levels soared at the evening's annual 19^th Hole Reception after a day of activities, meetings, and introductions. 

If Thursday was about settling in through fun networking, Friday was about education and further connection. Sessions like “Consumonics” of Fresh Produce, Market Mayhem, and Buzzer Beaters of Produce Policy coincided with expert panels like Clean Eating Challenge: Walking the Walk and—specially for the women gathered for In Bloom—an unplugged, candid conversation with Courtney Schuster-Moore from Rio Fresh, Kristi Novak from H-E-B, and Amanda Horney from Zano Fresh, moderated by Co-Chairs April Flowers and Shelly Cortez. 

"At Viva, it’s easy to feel at home here in Texas—spending time with our distributors, growers, and visiting our delis. One quote from an educational session really stayed with me: People need to eat, but they don’t have to eat what we’re growing. That’s on us. We also learned we can do a better job telling our own story—letting customers know we’re using fresh ingredients every day, prepared in the back of the house. The real opportunity is to partner with our growers and tell their story—so customers understand who’s behind their food and why it matters," Kim Andreason, Fresh Produce Program Director for Jason's Deli, shared. 

And if anyone could tell a story, it was keynote speaker Hunter Pinke. A former D1 college athlete with big dreams and a personality to match, Hunter shared how he came to his philosophy of "no bad days" after a life-altering accident left him paralized from the chest down at 22 years old. Bright and positive, Hunter connected with the room not just on the trials of life, but his own knowledge from being in a farming family.

"What you do is what brings us together, but who you do it with and who you do it for is what makes it special," he emphasized to us. 

The words landed even deeper when Dante Galeazzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIPA, discussed the importance of modeling our industry's importance through the Clean Eating Challenge. 

"What we do as an industry isn’t just a trend or a fad, it’s something you can do incrementally every day," Dante stated emphatically. 

It is a message the association lives well at Viva Fresh. I speak, of course, of the warm Welcome Reception officially kicking off the event with food not only showcasing fresh, but delighting in it with delicious options that highlighted a colorful palette of flavors that merged our industry and the culture of the Southwest. It was something attendees enjoyed further during the luncheon break provided a couple of hours after cutting the ribbon on the Viva Fresh Expo trade floor Saturday morning. 

As an energetic crowd spilled through the doors to populate every aisle of the show floor, Tony Incaviglia shared his experience.

"A truly exceptional show where quality, innovation and partnerships come together to move the industry forward," the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GR Fresh said about the event. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this show was how quickly the finish line came. After days together basking in the culture of the city hosting us, and of fresh produce itself, the hours on the showfloor seemed to fly. 

But as I reset that countdown clock for 2027, I look forward to seeing how much sprouts from the seeds planted from the past few days in San Antonio. Cheers to next year!