QUEBEC CITY — With the theme “A Healthy Industry, a Shared Responsibility,” the Quebec Produce Marketing Association held its 68th annual convention Aug. 20-22 at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, here.

Convention delegates found a unique and enriching convention waiting for them, starting with a warm personal welcome from 2014-15 QPMA board president Sammy Cacciatore of Sun Grape Marketing and convention chairman Patrice Alain of Metro, followed by three days of networking, conferences, meetings and special themed evenings.

A new year — and new faces

The annual general meeting of the QPMA membership included election of a new board of directors and appointment of officers. Roland Lafont of Vergers Saint-Paul is now QPMA second vice president, while Pascal Guérin of JAG - Les Jardins A. Guérin et fils was elected to the board, representing the Growers-Packers-Processors-Shippers sector. Marie Gosselin of Mûr conseil joined the ranks of QPMA governors.

The event was also an opportunity for outgoing board president Sammy Cacciatore to thank his fellow board members for their active support during the past year.

“Each of you, each of us, shares the responsibility of fulfilling the QPMA mission, each according to our abilities and talents,” Cacciatore said. “And ours is certainly a healthy association, when you think of all the terrific projects the QPMA continues to deliver.”

The annual QPMA activities report was presented by Gosselin, one of the association’s acting directors while CEO Sophie Perreault is on maternity leave.

Guest speakers deliver the goods

Among the opportunities for convention-goers this year was a stimulating conference on the issues involving e-commerce in the produce industry led by Jacques Nantel, head of the marketing education department and director of programs at HEC Montréal. Nantel’s talk provided a major overview of new trends in e-commerce and their impact on consumer behavior patterns.

A session entitled “Stress on the Job,” was presented by Sonia Lupien, who explained to her audience what stress really is and how to better understand and cope with their own stress-related reactions. Lupien also offered some practical, down-to-earth tools to help control our responses to stress in real life.

Later, at the industry brunch, Julie DesGroseilliers, nutritionist, consultant and official spokesperson for the QPMA “I love 5 to 10 Servings a Day” campaign since day one, announced the campaign’s latest and greatest spinoffs – plus names of the participants and winners in the 10th annual “I Love” contest. 

Last, but by no means least, Senegal-born humorist Boucar Diouf led the audience on a cross-culture food odyssey, “The Migration of Fruits and Vegetables.” Diouf, a former peanut farmer, charmed QPMA attendees with a presentation that featured tales from his own fascinating life.

A fun-filled convention for all

On Friday morning, participants had three activities from which to choose. Sports-minded convention-goers ignored overcast skies to take part in the morning’s “Quebec Fit & Fun” program, starting with a group warm-up and followed by a fitness-focused tour around Quebec City. QPMA epicures opted for “Workshops & Flavours,” a wine-tasting adventure featuring advice from professional sommeliers, a tapas buffet and a chance to create their own original cocktails. Food lovers, meanwhile, went on an excursion to the Île d’Orleans, where they savored the island’s unique charms, including a guided tour of local food delights.

On Thursday night, the Muse de l’Amérique Francophone chapel, which was deconsecrated in 1992, opened its doors wide to help guests celebrate the grand opening night of the convention. The chapel’s otherworldly atmosphere, enhanced by a capella vocal music and original arrangements by the group Qw4rtz, was the perfect setting to get convention goers in the groove.

On Friday evening, guests donned black and white for a James Bond-themed “007 Night” of elegance, action, martinis, gadgets and romance “from Quebec City with love.” During the evening, guests gave their best in tackling a series of mysteries posed by the emcee, or played secret agent in the video booth. Later on, they lit up the dance floor to music delivered by DJ Yo-C with backup by the talented Valérie Daure.

At the Saturday night banquet, guest of honor was Sebastian Proulx, MLA (Jean-Talon), appearing on behalf of the Quebec minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, Pierre Paradis. It was a memorable evening, led with spirit and flair by moderator Alexandra Diaz.

On this occasion, Alain Paré of Metro was honored as the 2015 Pillar of the Industry in Quebec for his distinguished professional career and personal qualities that have contributed to the advancement of the produce industry.

Next, Stephan Schmekel of Fresh Del Monte Produce (Canada) proudly accepted the QPMA board presidency for 2015-16, with “Building the Future” as his special theme in the year ahead. In his acceptance speech, Schmekel made a special appeal to young people in the produce industry.

“I’m proud to see that our association is positioned for renewal, thanks to the contributions of young men and women who are just as enthusiastically committed as all the rest of us,” Schmekel said in his address. “Those who know me personally are well aware of the importance I place on the next generation. So I’d like to take this opportunity to put out a message: If you’re young, please, get involved, because you are our industry’s future. Show how much you care, show how much better you can do it all. The more involved you get in this industry, the more you’ll get back in return.”

The evening concluded on a different note, ranging from humorous to hilarious, in a show by comedian Rachid Badoury.

Members in the spotlight

For a fourth consecutive year, the QPMA carried on its commitment to young produce industry talent in the “Cultivating the Next Generation” program, with the selection of a new intern who will have the opportunity to work for a full year inside the association.

In a frank and sincere speech, the third intern, Pierre Jr. Landry of Sobeys Québec, shared an account of his experience working with the QPMA over the past 12 months, before passing the torch to his successor.  The recruit chosen by the selection committee, Julie Lefort of Serres Lefort, is the first woman to take part in the internship program.

This year the 10th annual “I Love” contest broke all previous records with 278 participants. This year’s lucky winners, chosen in a random draw, are:

• Email Signature category: Nick Pitsikoulis of Canadawide
• Websites and Social Media category: Les Producteurs de pommes du Québec (Quebec Apple Growers)
• Projects with Major Impact category: Pommes Ma-gic Apples

To mark the 10th anniversary of the contest, a special “10 Years” category was created, open to any and all companies that had taken part in the contest over the last 10 years. The winning company drawn at random was Sun Grape Marketing.

At this year’s convention the QPMA once again gave members an opportunity to spotlight their latest developments in the fourth annual New Products Showcase. This year, 22 companies took advantage of the unique opportunity.