Fresh Summit 2015 Must See List
Oct 21, 2015
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Fresh Summit is an annual event bringing together the best of the fresh produce & floral supply chain… This year we are headed to Atlanta, Georgia and the fun starts on Friday!
- Over 20,000 people from all over the globe
- Largest fresh produce expo in the Western Hemisphere
- Over 1000 booths
- 3 days: Friday, October 23 thru Sunday, October 25
- Anticipated 200,000+ pounds of food to be donated to Atlanta hunger relief efforts
- Anticipated $150,000 raised for salad bars in American schools
Everyone brings their A game to Fresh Summit. It’s like our industry’s Oscar Night, spread out among 72 hours. (Except we don’t really wear gowns or tuxedos… Boots + jeans + my favorite Georgia Bulldogs T are in my suitcase… Gotta love Ag!)
Annually at Fresh Summit new products roll out, trends are set, and all who attend are inspired with energy & passion about our industry. After all, it’s a lot of fun to help supply the world with fresh fruits, vegetables & flowers 🙂
Hundreds of new products will be unveiled in Atlanta, many that I’ve never seen or read about. If they aren’t already available at retail, they will be soon! It’s easy to identify exhibitors with new items through the official Fresh Summit mobile app. After looking over the app, I have compiled The Produce Mom’s 2015 Must See List – items that I haven’t seen or tried yet & MUST SEE this year at #FreshSummit (in alphabetical order by Booth Name):
Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date Rolls by Natural Delights
Drool… A healthier take on one of my not-so-healthy favorites. Fingers crossed they are sampling these at Booth 1115! According to the Fresh Summit app, Natural Delights will be unveiling 3 new flavors of their date rolls at Fresh Summit. They had me at Pecan Pumpkin Pie, though.
Kohlrabi Veggie Sticks | Kool Robbi by Bejo
Kohlrabi is one of the hot trending veggies among chefs & foodies right now… can we get kids to try them, too? I’m excited to see this new convenience item & sample the kohlrabi. One of my family’s favorite things about Kohlrabi, though, is the funky look it has in the raw & whole form… will the prepared sticks from Bejo have the same allure as the uniquely-shaped whole Kohlrabi?
1915 Organic Juice by Bolthouse Farms
Organic & cold-pressed juice. I’m a fan of juice. I’m not a fan of how many carbs are in most of the retail juice lines. I’m on the prowl for a low-carb, veg-based juice this Fresh Summit… will 1915 be the answer to my juice desires?
Nutraleaf by Coastline Family Farms
According to the app, Nutraleaf was created by Rutgers University & is a super nutrient-rich lettuce grown by Coastline Family Farms. Nutraleaf is even higher in the antioxidant group polyphenols than blueberries. New superfood must-try.
Go Micro! Micro Greens & Gourmet Flavor Kits
Micro greens are hands-down the easiest way to fancy up a dinner plate. You can serve a grilled cheese topped with micro greens and fool everyone into thinking you are a culinary school graduate. I love all things snazzy… nothing brings more pizzazz to a plated dish than micro greens. Can’t wait to see this item from Coosemans Worldwide at Fresh Summit. I hope they are readily-available at retailers this holiday season & beyond!
Dandy Fresh-Cut Celery Snacks
Celery is great, but it’s also very ordinary. Food journals are indicating that celery is a rising star, maybe even the new “king” of the produce department. The Dandy Celery Snack Line packaging appears to be really eye-catching… and the Peanut Butter & Co. dip pairing… love.
Tsamma Guava and Tsamma Greens
Again: I’m on a mission to find a good lower-carb juice that is readily available at retail. The Tsamma Greens, with spinach & kale, especially caught my attention! Tsamma is a watermelon-based juice & the original flavor is delicious… makes the most amazing cocktails, too.
Frieda’s New Look
Anyone who desires to be a leader in the fresh produce industry is inspired by Frieda’s. The brand represents heritage, innovation, feminism & more. The Fear No Fruit documentary provided an intimate look into Frieda’s past… this year’s booth at Fresh Summit is about the future & the official unveiling of Frieda’s new look. The logo is adorable; can’t wait to see more!
Percinnamon by Kingsburg Orchards
I’m always looking for new fruits that are ideal for eating fresh, raw & out-of-hand. The original fast food! According to the Fresh Summit app, Percinnamon is a new fruit variety from Kingsburg. It’s a heart-shaped persimmon that has a buttery & cinnamon flavor… um, did you say cinnamon butter? Yes. Must try.
Seedless Lemons by Limoneira
The 1 fresh produce item that is ALWAYS in my kitchen… Lemons. The 1 thing I hate about lemons… the seeds. Excited to check out Limoneira’s new Seedless Lemon pack & hopeful that it will be available very soon at my local grocery store.
The Fit Fork with Litehouse
Starstruck! The Fit Fork aka Jennifer Fisher is one of my very favorite bloggers. I especially love The Fit Fork Instagram page… Her pictures motivate me to stay active & eat healthy. Plus, Jennifer interacts with my page and supports me. I love Litehouse – the instantly fresh herbs and salad dressings are delicious AND it’s a 100% employee owned company. I can’t wait to meet Jennifer again (we first met at BlogHer Food in Austin), and hopefully watch her cook!
Chia & Greens Beverage by Mamma Chia
For the 3rd time: I’m looking for a good low-carb juice that I can easily buy at the grocery store. On paper, Mamma Chia looks like the winner of the three I haven’t tried & included in this year’s must try list. BUT – will Chia & Greens taste good? Will the texture be weird? Will the seedy look on the bottle make me nauseous in person? I’ll know soon.
Culinary Cuts Sweet Potato Ribbons by Mann’s
This company… Mann’s is always making it easier for busy moms like me to serve fresh veggies to our families. How fancy & fun is the Sweet Potato Ribbon concept?! Perfect pasta noodle substitute for anyone on a gluten-free diet, too. According to the app, Mann’s Culinary Cuts will also include Butternut Squash Zig Zags.
Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms by Monterey Mushrooms
I’m yet to find a pre-made stuffed mushroom that is as good or better than the stuffed mushrooms that I make from scratch… oh how I would LOVE to find a decent stuffed mushroom convenience item. Monterey Mushrooms will be rolling out 3 flavors at Fresh Summit… they’ve already scored major bonus points because the packaging doubles as the baking sheet.
Arctic Apples by Okanagen Specialty Fruits
I really hope the Okanagen Specialty Fruits booth will actually have the Arctic Apple on-site at Fresh Summit. As an industry, we’ve been hearing about the Arctic apple for a couple years. It’s the non-browning apple. It’s the result of biotechnology or genetic modification. GMOs are a live wire topic for our industry. I’d be a horrible marketer & produce advocate if I were uninformed or shied away from this apple. If Okanagan is sampling Arctic Apples at Fresh Summit I will absolutely eat one & let y’all know what I think!
Broccoli Bites by Rhythm Superfoods
Step aside snack-food-style Kale Chips. Broccoli bites are here. Anxious to try these! I love Kale Chips. I don’t buy a lot of pre-made/convenience kale chips because the additives really make them not so healthy. Fingers crossed that the Rhythm Superfood Broccoli Bites will be a convenient snack choice that doesn’t compromise the nutritional value of snacking with vegetables.
Tessemae’s
I discovered Tessamae’s about 6 months ago. I’ve tried 4 of their salad dressings and I’m obsessed with all of them. There’s way more to this company than 4 salad dressing; I know they have sauces & likely other condiments, as well. With the recent financial investment from the Under Armour founder – I think it’s just a matter of time before this brand explodes.
Not on this list & think you should be?
Send me a tweet or post a comment!
I will be at Fresh Summit through Sunday evening… I’d love to see what’s new with your company or organization!
See you all in Atlanta!
#FreshSummit
xoxo Produce Mom
PS – don’t forget to join the conversation & participate in the #FreshSummit Twitter Party! More details here.
Aww, thanks for putting me on the list! I have so many yummy things planned with the Litehouse products, see you there!