“It’s our most local show,” he said. “I don’t do a lot in the New York metro area, to be fair, but I do get to connect with a lot of our New England customers. It tends to be a pretty big draw for them, even more so than the Boston show.” 

Russo Farms will exhibit at booth No. 162, where Russo and sales manager Ryan Beck will meet with buyers and share updates on the company’s programs and plans for the coming year.

Visitors can expect to see a wide selection of the company’s staple vegetable items, including fresh greens, scallions and other core products. 

“We plan to highlight new packaging developments that support retail-level ease and consumer convenience,” Russo said. “We started doing two-count, retail-ready green onions in a five-and-a-half-ounce bag, and that’s been pretty successful for us.”

The booth display will focus heavily on quality presentation, with products packed on-site rather than pre-prepared.

“We bring it up and set it up ourselves,” Russo said. “It looks nice. We take pride in that.”

The New York Produce Show also offers Russo the opportunity to reinforce long-standing customer relationships, while building new ones. Meetings are carefully planned in advance with partners the company wants to sit down with, but there is always room for fresh conversations. 

“Unplanned visits often lead to meaningful new business,” he said. “Every year we have somebody stop by with quality or service-related challenges with whoever they’re dealing with currently. That’s where we seem to make inroads — solving issues and showing what we can do differently.”

At the booth and on the show floor, Russo expects recurring themes centered around consistent quality and service. 

“That’s what people are looking for,” he said. “Differentiation often comes through flexibility and customization rather than a single standardized solution. There’s no one solution for any given customer. Almost every customer we deal with, we do things completely differently because their needs are completely different. What works for one does not work for someone else.”

While many attendees participate in the show’s surrounding programming, Russo prefers to use that time to connect with vendors and partners. 

Reflecting on 2025, Russo described the year as steady but challenging.  

“It was a little slower this year than in years past,” he said. “Volumes are down a little on certain items because consumers are having to pinch pennies. That’s not an industry problem — it’s an economy problem.” 

Still, he said holiday demand has been strong and the company remains optimistic heading into the new year.

A major focus for 2026 will be the launch of a new in-house lettuce program featuring romaine, green and red leaf varieties. 

“Next year will be the first year we’re going to do an in-house lettuce program,” Russo said. “Producing lettuce on the farm rather than purchasing from outside suppliers will allow for tighter quality control. Plus, doing it on the farm is a real driver of quality. What we grow ourselves will be nicer than anything we can buy.”

As Russo prepares for the show, success will be measured by connection and continued confidence. 

“A successful show is getting in touch with customers we haven’t spoken with in a while and not hearing bad news from core customers,” he said. “We’re looking forward to a good year.”