This is the time of the year that we here at JFS refer to as “Conference Season”. To some people this may seem rather glamorous but, in reality, it is attending many presentations, trade events and networking functions - along with juggling our standard “day jobs” at the same time. In short, it can be very tiring!
Regardless of anyone’s opinion, we genuinely believe todays markets and business relationships are truly global and participating in trade shows as a visitor or exhibitor is a valued investment. You can’t afford to miss out, that’s for sure.
This year conference season has recently kicked off with the annual Summerfruit Conference in Queenstown. I attended with the rest of the JFS sales team and we relished the opportunity to mix and mingle with industry colleagues in a beautiful location. Being in Queenstown gave us the opportunity to visit and spend an afternoon with the team at CAJ Apples. Their new apple packing facility in Ettrick is amazing. Jackie is pretty proud (and rightly so!) of her new operation, with the polished concrete floor and lowered ceiling being highlights. The lowered ceiling has really helped with temperature consistency in the plant, which means less sickness and staff being able to wear a uniform comfortably.
In the meantime the United Fresh Produce Association Show was held in Chicago on the 10-12 June 2019. Finalists of the Innovation Awards showcased their products and attendees are able to vote for their personal favourites during the show. I follow this event with interest as it is valuable to see the new products and innovations that are coming out of overseas and how they contribute to the fresh and fresh-cut produce industry.
Check out the seven finalists of the Best New Packaging category here and see if you picked the winner…
If you can’t figure it out… I’m happy to chat further!