Heard at OPS

What attendees are saying about OPS 2019...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“My favorite thing about this summit is seeing all the vendors come together and the breadth of organics available to us it is definitely a great opportunity. It’s very valuable to us!”

-Aaron Riveras, Sr. Category Manager, Sprouts Family Market

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I really enjoy seeing all the people here in California.I used to live here but now I'm with Lucky’s market in Boulder Colorado so that’s a big deal. I enjoy connecting with all the organic growers that I've known over the years and some new ones as well.”

- Mark Carroll, Sr. Director of Produce and Floral, Lucky’s Market

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I'm here I'm here at the Organic Produce Summit because organic is at the front and center as it should be. There needs to be a lot more education bringing people into the world of organic, so it's great to see so many people showing up for this show. It’s also great to see so many of our colleagues here!”

- Karen Salinger, Director of Sales, Veritable Vegetable

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“We came here from New Zealand to promote our new “Dazzle” variety apple. We’re making a lot of good connections here and it is held at the perfect time - right in the middle of our season. We love it here!”

- David Brasell, General Manager, Bostock New Zealand

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“As the organic industry continues to grow there's often not enough focus on it at other shows - it’s drowned out by the conventional farming industry. I think that this summit is going to continue to grow and will be the number one show annually for the organic industry.”

- Adele Gemignani, National Produce Purchasing Manager, Sun Basket

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“My favorite thing about this summit is the people. Also, the intimacy it presents to represent what we do with the people we work with and the people we work for. We are here are getting together with our friends and partners to keeping the energy flowing.”

- David Posner, Founder, Awe Sum Organics

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I find this show extremely valuable.This is the one place where all the Organic people come together and that’s impressive to me.It sure has grown and it's amazing how many people are here today compared to a couple years ago.”

- Dick Peixoto, Owner, Lakeside Organic Gardens

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“My favorite thing about this summit is seeing a lot of old friends and also the magnificence of where this industry has gone. I'm just proud to be part of it - it's such a joy!”

- Earl Herrick, Founder, Earls Organic Produce

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I really enjoy the community here, the farmers, consumers and the whole trade coming together. Having very focused conversations about organic produce and how to grow the movement. That's the stuff that gets me excited!”

- Ricardo Crisantes, President, Wholesum Family Farms

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“We grow organic apples and pears in Patagonia Argentina. We traveled from Argentina to be here for three days. Here I can see the face of the organic family. It’s very different than the PMA.I can see all my customers and my friends.”

- Sebastian Garrido, Director, PAI Organic

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I come to The Organic Produce Summit to connect with our vendors. We talk on the phone all the time and it's always great to put a face to the voice that’s on the other side. I work for a company that’s growing really quickly and we need to make sure we have adequate supplies in the future. This is a great way to connect with our people.”

- Tina Cosentino, Director of Procurement, Urban Remedy

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“This is my third show and I think it’s really great.”

- Kyle Reeves, Procurement Manager, United Supermarkets

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The shear amount of people coming through here is just amazing! This is our fourth year attending the summit. Our GM moderated one of the educational seminars and that was great! I got a little education, connected with the growers we work with and made new connections. It’s all about connections here!”

- Paul Pogrebneak, Sr. Business Development Manager, Four Seasons Produce

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“My biggest take-away from the summit is all the excitement around the growth of the organic industry. We have to keep it focused so it remains good for the growers.”

- Luis Acuna, CEO, Viva Tierra

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I am here to expand my supply base and its working - it’s been excellent for that reason.”

- Tomas Gonzalez, Senior Sourcing Manager, Walmart

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“We have 60 stores in Ohio, and this is my first Organic Produce Summit. I really enjoyed the field trip - we went to Braga Farms and it was extraordinary. What impressed me was everybody that worked there was very knowledgeable about the company and organic. We’re here to meet suppliers and expand our organic section and find better ways to merchandise organic in our stores.”

- Tony Masola, Perishable Foods Supervisor, Marc’s Stores