How Women’s Fresh Perspectives became a movement
How Women’s Fresh Perspectives became a movement
When I first got involved with Women’s Fresh Perspectives, I saw it as something special but contained — an annual moment to step back from the day-to-day grind of produce and invest in ourselves as leaders. In our industry, that’s rare. Produce is fast. It’s perishable. It’s margin-driven. It’s operationally complex. Most days are about solving today’s problem before it turns into tomorrow’s shrink report. So, carving out space for development and connection once a year felt meaningful. What’s happened since then has been bigger than an event.
Over the past year, Women’s Fresh Perspectives has shifted from something we attend to something we build. That distinction matters. Yes, the annual conference continues to sell out. I’m proud of that, but if I’m being honest, the waitlist tells us something important: the appetite for connection and leadership development in produce and floral is stronger than one event can hold. At the same time, what makes the conference powerful is its size and intimacy. The real conversations. The time to sit across from someone and talk through career pivots, supplier negotiations, stretch roles and the unspoken realities of navigating a still-evolving leadership landscape.
So, instead of simply expanding the main event, something more sustainable started happening. Women who met at the conference didn’t just stay loosely connected. They took ownership. Regional meetups began forming across the country — organized not by a central office, but by industry leaders who decided their cities needed a table, too. IFPA has been an important supporter in helping these gatherings come to life, but the momentum? That’s coming from the women themselves. When a community moves from being hosted to being shared, everything changes. It stops being an invitation and starts being a responsibility.
In produce, we talk constantly about sustainability — in farming practices, in packaging, in supply chains. We know sustainability isn’t a marketing word. It’s infrastructure. It’s discipline. It’s long-term thinking. Community works the same way. If Women’s Fresh Perspectives only exists within the boundaries of one conference, it will always be limited, but when members initiate regional conversations, mentor each other year-round and create access locally, the model becomes resilient.
That shift matters for talent development — and talent development is not a “nice to have” in our industry right now. It’s urgent. We need strong leaders across sourcing, logistics, operations, merchandising, marketing and executive strategy. We need people who can navigate volatility, labor constraints, supply chain disruptions and evolving consumer expectations. And we need them to stay.
People stay where they see growth. Communities like Women’s Fresh Perspectives help create that growth. When women feel supported and visible, they step into stretch assignments. They raise their hands for complex negotiations. They advocate for themselves and for their teams. They build cross-company networks that soften silos and improve collaboration. This isn’t about optics. It’s about performance. Inclusive leadership isn’t a side conversation. It improves decision-making. It expands perspective. It strengthens outcomes. In an industry as interconnected as ours, that has real business impact.
The annual conference still plays a critical role. It’s where energy concentrates. It’s where we invest deeply in leadership skills and challenge each other to think bigger, but what excites me most isn’t a sold-out room or a polished agenda. It’s seeing someone attend for the first time, leave energized and decide to host a small gathering in her own market. It’s watching a casual coffee turn into a long-term mentorship. It’s hearing about meetups in California, Florida, Arizona — and knowing they’re happening because women chose to build them. That’s how legacy forms. Not through one moment, but through repeated action.
Women’s Fresh Perspectives is still about the conference. It always will be, but it’s also about something more durable — a network of leaders who understand that strengthening women in produce and floral strengthens the industry itself. We’ve moved from once a year” to “all year, and that’s when you know it’s no longer just an event. It’s infrastructure — and infrastructure changes industries.
