PALM DESERT, Calif. — As the sun set on the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa, the competition heated up during a pre-event “Singo” competition. Think Bingo meets sing-along, where participants mark off “Singo” cards as they identify songs.
First-time exhibitor Amazon Dragon Fruit showcased its Amazon gold dragon fruit. The yellow dragon fruits are family-grown, and the family now farms about 247 acres of dragon fruit and yields about 400,000 boxes a year. The company started as a family business and has now become a grower, packer, importer and exporter.
The company is a Global GAP and FSMA-certified packing and export facility and offers distribution to Minnesota, Texas, Los Angeles and the Hamptons in New York.
Letty Perales, co-owner, said the company puts a major focus on sustainability, which includes social impact. Amazon Dragon Fruit built worker housing and brought the internet and a school to the area, it also offers overtime and bonuses to workers.
“We're like a big family,” Perales said, noting the concept of social impact will never stop for the company.
Sol-ti debuted its SuperStix at the West Coast Produce Expo. The products are made with organic dehydrated coconut water and come in flavors such as blueberry lemonade, strawberry lemon, dragon fruit lemon and Chlorophyll Lemon. Each flavor features unique blends to support digestion, skin health, greens and electrolyte balance.
“They're an everyday hydration stick,” said Morgan Givis, director of sales for the West for Sol-ti.
Givis said the SuperStix are available on Sol-ti's website as well as in Whole Foods stores.
And the company just launched its shots in Starbucks stores, too.
The team at Rich River Produce said visitors to the company's West Coast Produce Expo booth learned about its product offerings which include jalapeño, habanero, Anaheim, serrano, pasilla, caribe and bell peppers as well as tomatillos, butternut squash, Roma tomatoes, eggplant, jicama and cucumbers.
This was the third year Rich River, which offered booth visitors tortilla warmers, coffee cups and bags, things attendees would use every day, said Andrea Duarte a marketing and public relations specialist with Rich River Produce.
“The show has been really busy with a lot of people,” she said. “It's nice to see it grow and see different parts of the country show up.”
Jeff Matiasevich and Rob Gurney at the Veg-Land West Coast Produce Expo booth.
Veg-Land showcased its retail packs on display at its West Coast Produce Expo booth. The grower-packer-shipper also offers bulk packs for other distributors, too.
And the team at Veg-Land was more than happy with the turnout this year at the West Coast Produce Expo.
“It's better than last year,” said Jeff Matiasevich, sales manager, for the Fullerton, Calif.-based company.
The Double Date Packing team handed out date samples to help “spread knowledge about Medjool dates to consumers,” said Michael Gilfenbain, a sales associate with Double Date Packing.
Gilfenbain said more and more people are familiar with dates, so the conversations at West Coast Produce Expo were less about how to incorporate dates into dishes, but about availability as date recipes take over social media.
“Dates are a lifestyle,” he said.
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