ANAHEIM, Calif. — Those who arrived at the International Fresh Produce Association's recent Global Produce and Floral Show hungry for innovation got their fill. Every aisle was filled with new products, packaging, merchandising concepts and more. The following is a handful of highlights on the innovation front.
Micro Grapes and Cute Cukes
Innovation was on full display at the Mastronardi Produce booth, where Amanda Orr showcased the company's Tomato Branch greenhouse-grown micro grape tomatoes on the vine in upscale packaging that lets the beauty of the tiny tomatoes tell the story.
The company also featured sustainable packaging innovation with its Backyard Farms paper bag for lettuce that uses 65% less plastic than a traditional tray with top-seal. Orr says the packaging keeps lettuce just as crisp as with conventional packaging.
She then led The Packer to a secondary booth display for its Pop Its bite-size cucumbers that invited attendees to “Pop it. Dip it. Love it.” The colorful booth was rocking with a DJ and an array of dips with which to sample the sweet one-bite cukes.
“This is truly healthy snacking on the go,” said Orr. “We're revolutionizing the cucumber category.”
Microgreens Make Their Mark
With the tagline, “Innovation From the Ground Up,” UP Vertical is continually eyeing what the market will want next.
When The Packer spoke with Bahram Rashti of UP Vertical at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show earlier this year, tariff tensions had peaked, and Canadians were keen to buy grown-in-Canada products.
“The silver lining was a strong pull domestically that allowed us to expand and get where we need to be, which is even more competitive,” said Rashti from the Oppy booth at the IFPA Global Show.
The company has added an entirely new product line of seven microgreens, including Zesty Wasabi, Ruby Choi, Asian Tatsoi, Royal Kohlrabi, Rainbow Radish, Japanese Mizuna, and Classy Kale, which it says is a superfood high in vitamins A, C and K.
Rashti says UP Vertical invested heavily in indoor vertical farming and that the market is ready for it.
“When the Costco's of the world start carrying it, you know its growing and not a niche product anymore,” he said.
In the next couple of months, the company will add another three varieties of microgreens to its portfolio, Rashti says. “And because of the scale and efficiency we've built, we're very competitively priced.”
Currently, UP Vertical products are available throughout western Canada, with plans to grow to eastern Canada. On Oct. 23, the microgreens are set to make their U.S. debut in California.
Cold-Pressed Juices and Flavorful Grapes
Molly Pop featured its new line of four 8-ounce Molly Pop Cold-Pressed Juices in a merchandising case with grapes and all the components for the juice, a concept that John Cymbal, chief marketing officer of Molly Pop and a 2025 Packer 25 honoree, said was capturing the attention of scores of retailers at the show.
“People are going crazy for this — having all the ingredients that make the juice in arms' reach — Molly Pop grapes and juice in one place right in front of your face. It's beyond great, it's ‘Molly Good,'” he said.
The ciders are made from a simple blend of apple, grape and coconut water. “We're trying to sell more produce and products that make people healthier,” said Cymbal, adding the ciders are a premium product at a fair price.
Cymbal says Molly Pop is on a mission to make consumers crave produce like never before.
“Produce shouldn't be something you just throw in your cart,” he says. “I want kids to ask for it; Molly Pop grapes are a craveable, beautiful snack and a whole food.
Innovations in Taste, Texture and More
“We're really focused on innovation,” said Leona Neill of Red Sun Farms. “We're really starting to see momentum with seeding and breeding innovation.”
Neill took The Packer through a tasting of its Chef's Collection of tomatoes in green, orange, burgundy and red hues. The tasty tomatoes offered varying levels of savory and sweetness along with a nice bite. Neill says the blend is designed to offer a premium eating experience.
“Texture is becoming really big for tomatoes,” says Neill, adding that no one wants to bite into a soft or mushy tomato.
Innovation was also on display with Red Sun Farms' packaging solutions. The Canadian greenhouse grower had a wall in its booth where it gave attendees an idea of the many different sustainable packaging solutions it's trialing.
Pineapple That Eats Like a Piña Colada
Aiming to shake up the pineapple category with a new, naturally bred hybrid variety that was 15 years in the making, Dole introduced its Dole Colada Royale pineapple at the IFPA Global Show, and took home the IFPA award for best product promo.
“At IFPA everyone has been raving about the Colada Pineapple,” said Dole's William Goldfield. “It's big news and what we've been building up to for the last year. This is the place to launch it.”
An all-new variety of Ananas comosus that has been conventionally bred to be dark green on the outside and a lighter cream color on the inside, with a sweeter, bolder flavor, the Colada Royale pineapple is the result of years of trial-and-error natural breeding at one of Dole's oldest pineapple farms.
While everything about the pineapple, the eating experience and its label is designed to scream “premium product,” Goldfield says this pineapple is not just for special occasions. It's priced to be accessible to consumers, he says.
The Colada Royale pineapple has launched at H-E-B and Walmart in the Dallas-Houston area, and Goldfield says it will move further into the South at a pace of new retailers every two weeks. Eventually Dole will roll out the pineapple nationally.
Innovation Everyday
“We're all about innovation,” said Tara Murray, vice president of marketing for Fresh Innovations and Yo Quiero Brands. “We want to come to this show and show what's different now with full flavors that are new and excite consumers.”
Murray says Fresh Innovations and Yo Quiero Brands typically has big new product launches every six months.
“We're so small and nimble, if we get an idea we can act on it,” said Murray, adding that the company likes to play with new products that are “familiar with a twist.”
She says the new product innovation process starts by thinking about current trends and then the ingredients the company already has. The company's Elote Dip was 90 days from idea to creation, she says.
At the IFPA Global Show, the company showcased its Yo Quiero Candied Jalapeno Peppers that are infused with sweetness and spiciness.
“They're phenomenal,” said Murray. “This flavor has been in Texas forever, and now we're introducing it to new audiences. It fits the spicy-sweet craze ,and we're serving it here at IFPA with pulled pork to show different ways to eat it.
“It's been a huge hit,” added Murray, who said she's excited to launch it nationwide.
