Fruitnet Tropicals Congress speaker line-up unveiled

Aldi Süd’s global sourcing director, Franka Rodriguez; marketing expert Nuria Pizan; Gianpaolo Renino, senior vice president Europe and Africa Fresh Del Monte; Andrew Dominy of Tropic Biosciences; RaboResearch’s Cindy van Rijswick; Trops CEO Victor Luque; Thierry Athemon, commercial director of Montosa; Jingold CEO Alessandro Fornari and Tesco’s banana and tropical fruit buyer Daniel Bentley are among the expert line-up of speakers at this year’s Fruitnet Tropicals Congress, which takes place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Barcelona on 30 June & 1 July.

The conference and networking event brings together senior decision-makers from across the value chain to tackle some the sector’s biggest challenges and opportunities.

From breeders and growers to marketers, logistics specialists and leading retailers, the congress offers a rare chance to connect with top-level delegates shaping the future of the tropical fruit category. With a strong focus on meaningful networking alongside a high-calibre conference programme, the event is designed to deliver both insight and real commercial value.

This year’s agenda addresses the issues defining the category today, including logistics and freshness, premiumisation, sustainability and full crop utilisation, next-generation marketing, and what retailers really want from suppliers of tropical fruit.

Across the programme, delegates will gain insight into how to defend value in an increasingly competitive market, build stronger supply chains, and respond to changing consumer expectations – all while improving sustainability and reducing waste.

• In the opening session, RaboResearch’s Cindy van Rijswick sets the scene with a keynote presentation analysing the latest tropicals trade data. This is followed by an in-depth discussion at the state of the industry by our expert panel, which includes Tesco’s Daniel Bentley, Joel Pascual of Cartama Europe and Juan Antonio Reyes of Reyes Gutierrez.
• Franka Rodriguez of Aldi Süd sits down with one of the retailer’s leading tropicals suppliers in a frank dialogue exploring how the relationship between suppliers and retailers is changing and evolving.
• Drew Zabrocki and Martha King of Totem, architects of the Supply Chain of the Future Initiative, outline on how to tackle major weaknesses in today’s fresh supply chains, including waste, inefficiency and lack of data sharing, through collaboration and data sharing.
• Fyffes’ Adriano de Silva and Shelly Vorster of the World Avocado Organisation share their insights into how robust consumer insight and research can unlock demand, while Nuria Pizan of Nurbrands explores how to market tropicals to a new generation of consumers.
• Andrew Dominy of Tropic Biosciences presents the latest next-generation gene editing techniques to develop non-browning and disease-resistant bananas.
• Simon Derrick of Blue Skies and Colead’s Ebenezer Laryea set out their blueprint for helping retailers, brands and suppliers to navigate environmental, social and ethical commitments to build fairer supply chains.
• Fresh Del Monte’s Gianpalo Renino and Alessandro Fornari of Jingold present case studies on how to avoid the commoditisation trap through smarter segmentation, branding and premiumisation.
• In our innovations showcase, René Clerc of OneThird, Sinclair’s Duncan Jones and AgroSustain’s Olga Dubey present game-changing technologies that are improving the quality and sustainability of tropical fruit.
• Two of Spain’s tropicals powerhouses – Montosa’s Thierry Athimon, Victor Luque of Trops – join Jai Thakrar of Jalaram Fruit and Daniela Busseni of Westfalia Fruit to discuss new opportunities in foodservice, fresh-cut and processing.
• Siebe van Wijk of The Fruit Republic showcases Vietnam’s growing potential as a supplier of tropical and exotic fruit.

One of the biggest draws of Fruitnet Tropicals Congress is the opportunity to connect. With dedicated networking breaks, a lunch session, and a second day of hosted study tours to logistics and distribution facilities, the event is structured to maximise interaction between attendees.

Taking place in Barcelona, a key hub for the tropical fruit trade, the congress provides the ideal setting for building relationships and exploring new business opportunities in a relaxed but highly professional environment.

Click here to see the full programme.

Secure your place now and take advantage of early bird rates until 14 May.