The New York Produce Show held its annual event in New York City on Wednesday, December 6. For most of the day, it felt busy and lively on the show floor. It’s a regional show that traditionally sees a high number of attendees from the Northeastern part of the US. “There are many reasons to go to New York this time of year,” says JC Myers with SunFed. “It’s an incredible city, and many attendees bring their spouses or friends and extend their time in the city by a few days. However, it’s also tough to be the last show of the year. How do you differentiate after 11 months of shows,” Myers asked.
All in all, the majority of exhibitors was happy with the turnout. “The event saw good attendance and the local presence and smaller setup make it a good show to come to,” says Eric Ziegenfuss with Oppy. A few exhibitors mentioned they had hoped to see a higher retail attendance. By 4:00 pm, most exhibitors seemed to realize there were not many buyers left on the show floor, and they started taking down their booths. As a result, the show ended early.
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Apples and citrus
In terms of new products, there weren’t a lot of additions. Most companies in North America focus on launching new products in the weeks leading up to IFPA’s Global Show in October. For the New York Produce show, some companies decided to bring products while others just focused on meeting face-to-face with buyers. With the state of Washington having a very large apple crop this season, most apple shippers brought products to show. And it is the peak season for citrus in North America, which resulted in many growers-shippers having citrus products on display. There were a few exhibitors from South America, including Peru, Ecuador, and Guatemala. They mainly brought exotic produce items to show to potential customers.
“Altogether, it was a good show with great conversations. It’s always nice to catch up with customers and peers, in particular when it’s in a city like New York,” finished Brenda Briggs with Rice Fruit Company. This wraps up North America’s last produce tradeshow of 2023.
