Organic Produce Summit continues to thrive

Tim Linden

June 23, 2025

ops Launched in 2016 as the first fresh produce trade show devotes entirely to the organic sector, the Organic Produce Summit is still blazing the trail as it will host its ninth annual event in Monterey, CA, July 9-10.

Though this year could have marked its tenth show, the 2020 OPS had to be cancelled because of the COVID pandemic. It hardly missed a beat coming back strongly as ever in 2021 and continuing to set attendance and exhibitor records every year since. It will not surprise anyone if more than 1,800 attendees and 200 exhibitors participate in this year’s event. More than 300 retailers and buyers are expected to be in attendance, including representatives from Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Kroger.

OPS 2025 will get started with its traditional retailer/buyer-only field tours of Salinas Valley’s most progressive organic producers. On Wednesday, July 9, busloads of attendees will visit the facilities and fields of Braga Fresh, Driscoll’s, Earthbound Farm and Lakeside Organic Gardens where they will get a first-hand look at dozens of commodities and all that is involved at the origin of the organic supply chain.

Then there is the OPS opening event, which has always stood out for its high level of excitement, entertainment and hors d’ouevres.

As has always been the case, the Organic Produce Summit packs the substance of its program into one day, which kicks off with a networking breakfast, moves into a series of quick-hitting educational session, stirs the pot with three keynote addresses and then serves lunch to allow the crowd to digest what they just heard. The second half of the day is devoted to the outsized buzz that accompanies its always-packed trade show.

A discussion of The State of Organic Produce will kick off the keynote sessions. This topic will delve into the industry’s latest developments, untapped sales opportunities and factors influencing the future of organic produce. SPINS Vice President of Retail and Distributor Growth Meagan Nelson and Grimmway Produce Group CEO Jeff Huckaby will be the featured speakers.

The second keynote presentation will take a look at the role artificial intelligence might play in the organic ag sector. Timothy Childs, founder and Co-CEO of Nutri8, will be the presenter with his talk titled: From Soil to Sale - Making Sense of AI in Organic Agriculture.

The keynote experience will also include a retail panel, which has become a mainstay of OPS. The speaker lineup will consist of Joshua Crone, retail programming senior manager of produce for National Co+op Grocers; Faith Garrard, executive director of fresh & alcohol for Raley’s; Reyna Graves, director of merchandising, national produce for Sprouts Farmers Market; and FreshSource President Scot Olson.

The morning’s slate of educational sessions include: The Pros & Cons of Private Label & Branded Organic Produce, with panelists Victor Savanello of Katzman Distribution, Frances Dillard of Driscoll’s, Dennis Payne of The Fresh Market, Andy Smith of SpartanNash and Heather Fuller of Braga Fresh Family Farms.

In Merchandising Magic: The Power of Wow on Operations, Profitability & Customer Engagement, Mark Mulcahy of Organic Options Consulting will moderate a panel featuring James Morrell of Columinate, Jeff Fairchild of Organically Grown Co., Kat Britt of The Turnip Truck Natural Market and Jonathan Steffy of Four Seasons Produce.

Innovative Strategies to Engage Shoppers & Increase Organic Produce Sales will be explored by Kevin Byers of Smith Bros. Farms, Gianna De Caro of Soli Organic, and Sandy Pfaff of the Organic Trade Association.

The Economics of Organic: Navigating Opportunities & Uncertainty in 2025 is another fascinating topic that will be covered by Ricardo Crisantes of Wholsum, Walt Duflock of Western Growers and Joe Gardiner of Treehouse California Almonds.

“Each carefully curated session demonstrates OPS’s leadership in delivering cutting-edge education and market intelligence that shapes the future of the organic produce industry,” said OPS Event Manager Keigan Roos. “Now more than ever as we navigate new market nuances, it is critical to stay ahead of the curve of which opportunities to tap into to bring diversified revenue and growth.”

Tim Linden

About Tim Linden |

Tim Linden grew up in a produce family as both his father and grandfather spent their business careers on the wholesale terminal markets in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Tim graduated from San Diego State University in 1974 with a degree in journalism. Shortly thereafter he began his career at The Packer where he stayed for eight years, leaving in 1983 to join Western Growers as editor of its monthly magazine. In 1986, Tim launched Champ Publishing as an agricultural publishing specialty company.

Today he is a contract publisher for several trade associations and writes extensively on all aspects of the produce business. He began writing for The Produce News in 1997, and currently wears the title of Editor at Large.

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