Wilkins says Viva Fresh bar is ‘raised again’
Wilkins says Viva Fresh bar is ‘raised again’
“We are the gateway out of Mexico into Texas. More and more of what is grown in Mexico is coming into Texas,” said Tommy Wilkins, who is one of five on the steering committee for the Viva Fresh Expo.
The second annual Viva Fresh Expo will be held March 31 – April 2 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio.
Wilkins quoted an analysis by the Texas A&M Center for North American Studies indicating that by 2020, fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico into Texas are forecast to grow 73 percent, compared to volume in 2012. This is the equivalent of a 615,000-truckload increase in volume.
Wilkins said that all 170 exhibitor booths have been sold out for the 2016 show. Over 150 retail and foodservice buyers will be attending. In part, Viva Fresh is popular with many produce buyers because their corporations’ policy disallows travel to Mexico, he added.
Thus, Viva Fresh was designed within the security of Texas to bring those buyers to meet Mexican suppliers and to see Mexican farms via live video feeds. These shows were standing room only at the inaugural show in Austin last year.
This year’s virtual tour will be even better, with the use of a video camera mounted on a drone.
Conventioneers will have the chance to ask questions of their Mexican tour host by the international video feed. There will be a similar virtual tour of a Texas growing operation.
Wilkins said part of the show’s focus is to have educational components to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Wilkins is the director of sales and business development for Grow Farms Texas LLC, based in Donna, TX. He was born and raised in Texas. He spent 20 years in retail before joining Grow Farms.
“I am very proud of the show,” he said. Compared to the highly successful 2015 event, “I think we have raised the bar again.”
