FRESNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2017 Fresno Food Expo brought together 142 of Central California’s finest food and beverage growers and manufacturers to showcase high quality local products to more than 650 pre-qualified regional, national and international foodservice and retail buyers matching products to market needs for increased sales; additionally 16 Valley restauranteurs and celebrity chefs cooked up exhibitor-only dishes during the two-day show; and more than 1,100 members of the public joined the celebration of food, innovation and commerce found in Central California’s San Joaquin Valley. The 2017 New Product Awards, presented by Baker Peterson Franklin CPA, LLP, debuted 28 new products from 26 different Central California companies that were well-received by buyers and public alike. Strong company partnerships and product collaborations were an emerging trend amongst participating Expo companies.
The Expo’s expanded year-round exhibitor platform supplemented the food show with business growth opportunities for participating companies to connect with national and international food experts who believe in Central California’s vibrant food scene including: New York Times best-selling author Greg Lederman who shared strategies for effective leadership to increase team productivity; an exclusive meeting between food writer, cook and Food Network TV personality Simon Majumdar and 35 regional restaurateurs and chefs who discussed the benefits of coming together to increase locally-crafted cuisine to expand the region’s position as the “Food Capital of the World” beyond farming and production – to a prideful food community and destination for the world to admire and savor; and “Supermarket Guru” Phil Lempert who led this year’s keynote address with remarks on consumer trends, the new retail environment and the role of Millennials and technology in our changing marketplace.
This year’s Expo focused on bringing quality, top-tier level buyers with great purchasing power to the show floor including: Costco, Safeway, Walmart and Whole Foods.
Complementing the domestic buyers were 21 qualified international buyers from Central America, Mexico and Southeast Asia who attended the Expo to meet one-on-one with qualified fresh produce companies from the Valley and also the Western U.S. These one-on-one meetings were made possible through a partnership with the California Centers for Trade Development and the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association in an effort to increase exporting, not only in California, but the United States as a whole. The Expo also garnered the attention of 22 international export trading firms.
To read the entire release, go to: http://bit.ly/2017FFERecapRelease.
To download photos from the 2017 Fresno Food Expo, go to: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/5e4TnZZ4Gn.
