NEPC celebrates 25th anniversary at its annual expo
NEPC celebrates 25th anniversary at its annual expo
BOSTON — The New England Produce Council Inc. proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Produce, Floral & Food Service Expo with a sold-out event at the Encore Boston Harbor Resort, here. What began in 1999 as a small trade show at the former Bayside Expo Center has grown into a premier industry gathering, bringing together produce professionals, floral leaders and foodservice innovators from across the region.
(now retired), who is one of the founders of the council.
This year’s expo drew a record attendance of about 1,000 people and featured 175 exhibitors, 15 of which were new exhibitors, according to NEPC Executive Director Laura Sullivan. The expo also had a reimagined floral exhibit space that transformed the foyer into a vibrant, fragrant entryway for attendees.
The milestone event was highlighted with the appearance of Cece Krumrine (now retired), who is one of the founders of the NEPC, and who joined members, sponsors and exhibitors in honoring the council’s journey over the past quarter-century.
The event commenced Monday evening, Aug. 18, with a VIP reception sponsored by North Bay Produce, followed by a general reception sponsored by 4M Fruit Distributors.
At the keynote breakfast Tuesday morning, Aug. 19, NEPC President David Dearborn of C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. welcomed attendees and spotlighted NEPC’s continued commitment to philanthropy, announcing a donation to Boston Children’s Hospital. The NEPC Expo Committee had gone on a shopping spree to purchase toys, games, sensory motor items and more for the hospital’s psychiatric unit. These gifts were personally delivered by Debbie Loche of Roche Bros. and Peter Fatse of Pure Fresh, who toured the facility alongside Michael Martinez of the Children’s Hospital Trust.
The morning program also included the presentation of scholarships. Edwin Stepp, representing the James & Theresa Nolan Family Foundation, awarded the foundation’s scholarship to Hailey Mansur. Additionally, Dearborn announced this year’s NEPC Scholarship recipients: Isabelle Dee, Cameron Dee, Sadie Shaw, Steven Shaw and Hailey Mansur.
keynote breakfast Tuesday morning, Aug. 19.
Another exciting addition was the inaugural NEPC Leadership Class, which began its day with an early morning tour of the New England Produce Center before joining the expo.
The keynote breakfast once again featured the popular Produce Feud, where six teams competed in a spirited contest answering produce and general knowledge questions. The championship title went to the Fresh Picks team, comprising members of the Leadership Class, marking a special highlight of their inaugural year. The winning team members were Jimmy Smith of JP Sullivan, Seta Migridichian of Roche Bros., Mariangela Barbieri of Hapco Farms, Marissa Dolan of Gold Bell, Michael Burke of Garden Fresh Salad Co. and Molly Bentley of JOH.
The Produce News spoke to some of the attendees to get their impressions of the NEPC’s silver anniversary event.
Tim Harrington of Stemilt Growers said, “It’s a tremendous show to see our regional supermarket contacts. It’s a great time for us as we start our new season, as we’re finishing up cherries and we’re moving into pear and apple season. It’s a great opportunity to tell our retail partners what the crop looks like, how it’s progressing, and what the opportunities are for the upcoming season.”
He added, “I really like the size of the show and how quickly all the guests can get through the show. It’s the right amount of time. I like the location and the ease of getting in and out of the show. It’s great to see all our colleagues in the industry all under one roof, celebrating produce and showing our fine products.”
team: Jimmy Smith of JP Sullivan, Seta Migridichian of Roche Bros., Mariangela
Barbieri of Hapco Farms, Marissa Dolan of Gold Bell, Michael Burke of Garden
Fresh Salad Co. and Molly Bentley of JOH.
Asked how the traffic was at the show, he replied, “It’s been outstanding. I think I’ve seen every retailer I was hoping to see. It’s just a nice, compact one-day show. I think it’s the best one we’ve had in years. Coming to the Encore is definitely the place to be.”
For International Foodsource, a supplier of nuts, dried fruit and snack items that markets its products under the “Valued Naturals” brand, the 25th annual NEPC expo was its first but definitely not the last. “It was a lovely show with excellent networking opportunities,” said Leidy Lipson, general manager. “The venue was also fantastic, and we are already planning to return next year."
Alisha Albinder Camac of Hudson River Fruit Distributors said, “I think it’s a really good opportunity to meet with retailers in a smaller intimate setting. I think that the size of the show is perfect. It’s been really busy. It hasn’t slowed down yet, and I think it’s almost 3:30. That’s pretty good.”
Bill Burr of Sunny Valley International said, “Traffic’s been fantastic. It’s been steady all day. I saw a lot of key customers and met some new ones as well.” Attending this show is “extremely important” for Sunny Valley, he said. “A lot of our key customers are from this region. It’s always great to just put a face with the conversations that we have over the phone or through e-mail. So it just builds the relationship even further.”
Sabrina Pokomandy of Highline Mushrooms said, “The traffic is great. There’s a good pace, with lots of retailers walking through. We’ve seen who we wanted to see for sure.” She added, “I think holding it at this property is good. Everybody is all together, all the events are here. It’s a nice short show but lots of opportunity to spend time with retailers and partners.”
She said that NEPC is a “wonderful organization, and we’re glad to support it. It’s nice to be part of the regional shows. It really gives a good focus to the region and gives us an opportunity to spend the time.” Being in New England is “very important now,” she stated. “We are delivering into this area now so we definitely want to make new partnerships and expand our reach into this area.”
Joe Atchison III of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said, “It’s important for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to come to the New England Produce Council show because outside of the immediate Jersey, Philly and New York market, New England is our second-largest market. So it’s important that we have representation here to convey all the great items that our farmers produce in New Jersey.”
He added, “We’ve had a lot of good visits and good conversations with lots of retail chains. We also have some New Jersey floral producers and one or two of our farmers representing the Garden State here.”
Asked about the traffic midway through the expo, Atchison said, “Traffic has been steady, and we appreciate the retailers that have come out. It’s good to see their red badges walking through the floor. And we try to engage with each of them as best we can.”
At the Jersey Fresh booth, “Right now we have all of our summertime favorites with the exception of blueberries, as the blueberry season has wrapped up. We have corn, tomatoes, peaches, peppers, cantaloupes, cucumbers, pickles and some early apples.”
Brandon Parker of Shuman Farms said toward the end of the expo, “You know, it was really good. We were very busy first off, and we thought it might die off toward the end of the day, but it’s been a good steady flow of traffic. So yes, it’s been a really good show, and we’re happy to be here.”
Parker added, “Laura and her team do a fantastic job. The venue, the time of the year, bringing in the retailers in this area. She has really good support from those retailers, which creates great opportunities for us to come in and connect with them, some of which we’re fortunate to do business with, and some that we would like to. So over all, it’s just a good setting for us.”
At the Shuman booth, “We are discussing our upcoming transition from the Vidalia season to the Peru season. We’re talking about the upcoming promotions. And we’re also just talking to partners and looking for ways that we can increase consumption. That’s on everybody’s mind. So we’re working with our partners in open dialogue of how we can work together to do that.”
He concluded, “This is the NEPC’s 25th anniversary. We’ve been coming for 15-plus years, and we anticipate that we’ll be coming for many years to come.”
In fact, the New England Produce Council is already preparing for its next expo, scheduled to take place Aug. 17–18, 2026, once again at the Encore Boston Harbor Resort. “After the resounding success of the 25th anniversary event,” said Sullivan, “anticipation is building for what promises to be another exceptional gathering.”
