For Immediate Release: Oct. 20, 2016
Contacts: Robert Sakata, CFVGA president 303-947-3097 or rtsakata@aol.com
Marilyn Bay Drake, CFVGA executive director 303-594-3827 or admin@coloradoproduce.org
Colorado Produce Growers Represented at International Event
Representatives from the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) have returned from the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit, held Oct. 14-16, in Orlando, Fla., where they had an opportunity to put the merits of Colorado produce before a record crowd of 20,889 attendees from 65 countries. The event, the largest of its kind in the Western hemisphere, also allowed the CFVGA delegation to check out more than 1200 exhibitors showcasing new products, trends and innovations in the produce industry and to attend sessions on marketing strategies, food safety and new technologies.
Attending from CFVGA were Robert Sakata, Sakata Family Farms, Brighton; Dominic DiSanti, DiSanti Farms, Pueblo; Joe, Charlie and Nathan Talbott, Talbott’s Mountain Gold, Palisade; and Adrian Card, CFVGA board member from Colorado State University Extension, Boulder County. Also attending from Rocky Ford Growers Association was CVGA member Michael Hirakata, Hirakata Farms, Rocky Ford. CFVGA was part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s booth area and received partial funding for the event from the U.S. Specialty Crops Block Grant.
“It was a great opportunity to network and see new ideas,” said Hirakata, who said he was particularly intrigued by new packaging technology and the ways people are promoting their produce. “There’s just so much to see, and it is important that the Colorado produce industry be there to let buyers know what we have to offer.”
Card, who attended the event for the second consecutive year agreed, “Both for our grower members and for CFVGA as a new and growing organization, it is important that we stay current with innovation in the industry and that we also continue to promote Colorado produce to buyers as a high quality product.”
The CFVGA is comprised of more than 200 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes nearly $300 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 60,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production. For more on the CFVGA, visit coloradoproduce.org
