How Fruit and Vegetable Connect Helps Build Business
January 22, 2020 
The mountains in Olympic Valley, CA, served as the backdrop for growers and suppliers at Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect.
If you are a decision maker from a large growing operation, where can you go to learn about new products, services, equipment, or technology in a relaxed setting? Those who have attended Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect West know the answer.
The co-located event, formerly known as Fruit Grower Connect and Vegetable Grower Connect, took place in November in Olympic Valley, CA. Decision makers from some of the largest fruit and vegetable growing operations in the West attended (by invitation). They met with suppliers for two days of predetermined, one-on-one meetings and networking.
Chris Hale of PureCrop1 and Todd Brendlin of Grimmway Farms talk strategy at Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect West. Photo by Rosemary O. Gordon
Before coming to Olympic Valley (located near Lake Tahoe), each grower shared information on specific operation needs, which we used to create a whitepaper. In advance of the event, growers received a profile on each supplier to determine their level of interest in meeting with the companies attending on the supply side. Suppliers used the whitepapers to help decide which farming operations they would like to connect with for prearranged, 50-minute meetings.
Constructive Conversations
Several growers and suppliers agreed 50 minutes was the right amount of time for meetings. The schedule and format worked well, said Steve Booher, Founder and CEO of Smart Guided Systems, the supplier of the Intelligent Spray Control System add-on kit for air blast sprayers. He also appreciated the event structure, which kept all attendees on time.
“I liked having a 5-minute warning knock on the door letting [me] know the meeting time was almost up,” Booher said.
Josh Parreira, Field Manager at Hart Farms in California, liked the casual atmosphere for the meetings. “You have an allotted time to spend with a supplier, so you can get to know their product.… It is a constructive conversation about what your needs are and how [the supplier] can fill a gap.”
Conversations About Solutions
Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect West kicked off with a growers’ only roundtable where growers had two hours of uninterrupted time to talk about issues pertinent to the industry and their operations. Discussions flowed from topic to topic and started out with a conversation on big wins for 2019 and opportunities in 2020. To no one’s surprise, the topics of technology and mechanization came up repeatedly.
Major Benefits
Denver Schutz of Gerawan Farming (left) and Deac Jones of Andaman Ag Corporation discuss details during a one-on-one, 50-minute meeting at Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect in Lake Tahoe. Photo by Dave Eddy
The main takeaway for Randy Olson, Production Supervisor at Betteravia Farms in California, is the opportunity to see new innovations. “[Connect] is exposure to new ideas,” he said. “As farmers we are always learning. It is nice to learn about new tools in a relaxed setting.”
In addition to learning about new products, growers also had an opportunity to connect with companies they wouldn’t find out about elsewhere.
“[Connect] will open your eyes to vendors you may not know of,” said Greg Southworth, Farm Manager at Bolthouse Farms in California. “It is an opportunity to connect directly to manufacturers of products and get more details on how the products may work for you.”
Connect presents a different type of communication than other events, added Emery Silberman, Chief Technology Officer at Bowles Farming in California. “This is more direct information on products and services,” he said. “It is like having [companies] come to the farm and talk to you about their products, without distractions, so it is beneficial in that regard.”
Benefits to Suppliers
On the supply side, James Watson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Semios, said Connect is a great way to get in front of your target customer.
“[Connect is difficult] to quantify if you have never attended, but when I look at other ways you can interact with your target customer — whether that’s a trade show or trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting — the problem is there are a lot of other distractions,” Watson said. “If the grower is at his facility, there is always other business going on. If it is at a trade show, there is noise and other things happening. [At Connect] it was about the quiet, relaxed, face-to-face atmosphere, so it really enhanced the quality of the interaction and the sharing of information.”
Participating in Connect is an efficient use of time, too. “As you can imagine being the owner and president of a business you have to choose your events wisely,” Booher explained. “It was good to have the grower whitepapers ahead of time to home in on who you want to meet with.”
Want more details about Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect West? Go to FVConnectWest.com.
Labor and food safety also were major topics. Some growers said the roundtable was a good ice breaker for the rest of the event, which included two days of predetermined, one-on-one meetings.
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