Produce Talks

Industry innovation is a key area of focus for CPMA. Over the years, CPMA has offered its members the opportunity to share their innovation efforts and facilitated connections to new innovators in the produce industry. In this episode, we hear from 3 different innovative companies about their products and their experiences at the Innovation Zone at the CPMA Convention and Trade Show. Mike Mauti asks these companies to share their stories and how they benefited from CPMA’s innovation efforts. www.innodal.comwww.co2gro.cawww.clarifruit.comThe end of this month’s episode features Industry Insights with Mike Mauti, as he shares current consumer perceptions and trends from the Canadian market. You can subscribe to CPMA Produce Talks on Google or Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast players.

In this episode, Jane Proctor, CPMA’s Vice President of Policy & Issue Management leads a discussion with CPMA Chair, Colin Chapdelaine, Brian Faulkner of BCfresh and Sue Lewis, CPMA’s Vice President of Market Development on the state of the Canadian produce industry. The four share their perspectives on: • Two recent research reports on the enormous contribution of the fresh produce industry to the Canadian economy. • What the industry and the government can do to improve Canadians’ health by encouraging the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. • Marketing fresh produce to Canadians using tips from the Half Your Plate website.

Ron Lemaire President of CPMA leads a Year in Review discussion with David Coletto. David is the Chair and CEO of Abacus Data, a Canadian market and public opinion research agency. Ron and David give an overview of what Canadians think of the political climate and how it relates to the fruit and vegetable industry. David also provides insights to how Canadians view key areas of sustainability, climate change, our health, inflation and the economy. Listen to the end for this month’s episode of Industry Insights as Mike Mauti shares some end of the year statistics from the Canadian consumer market.

In this episode, Dan Duguay, CPMA’s Sustainability Specialist, provides an update on the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) packaging regulations that aim to significantly reduce plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables. We discuss CPMA and the industry’s response to these proposals and report on the impact they would have on the fresh produce industry in Canada. Listen to the end for this month’s episode of Industry Insights as Mike Mauti shares more current statistics from the Canadian consumer market.

In this episode, Dan Duguay, CPMA’s Sustainability Specialist, provides an update on the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) packaging regulations that aim to significantly reduce plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables. We discuss CPMA and the industry’s response to these proposals and report on the impact they would have on the fresh produce industry in Canada. Listen to the end for this month’s episode of Industry Insights as Mike Mauti shares more current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, Cascades.

In this episode, we hear from different innovative companies and incubators about their products and how they have benefited from the Innovation Zone at the CPMA Convention and Trade Show. The first part features Mike Mauti interviewing Denise VanderVeen of CleanWorks, a produce innovator, and Andrew Wylie of Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. www.cleanworkscorp.com www.vinelandresearch.com In the second part, Mike Mauti interviews Mike Meinhardt of Provision Analytics, also a produce innovator, and Heather Marshall from the Creative Destruction Lab, an incubator affiliated with the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto that supports companies and their new technologies. www.provision.io www.creativedestructionlab.com/locations/calgary Listen to the end for this month’s episode of Industry Insights as Mike Mauti shares more current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

This episode features CPMA President, Ron Lemaire, CPMA Board Member, Kendra Mills of the PEI Potato Board, and the 2023 CPMA Produce Champion, Member of Parliament (MP) Kody Blois, in a discussion about opportunities and key challenges within the fresh produce sector in Canada, and how Members of Parliament can help advance the goals of the Canadian agriculture sector. MP Blois has been the Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, Nova Scotia since 2019. He was recognized as the 2023 CPMA Produce Champion for his ongoing contributions to advancing the priorities of CPMA members and the broader Canadian agricultural sector. In addition, we've added a new segment to each of our monthly episodes called Industry Insights. Listen to the end of the podcast as Mike Mauti shares some current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

In this episode, we listen to the recording of the Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA’s Convention and Trade Show in Toronto. Moderator Stewart Lapage from Oppy talks with 4 Passion for Produce Alumni. These young professionals talk about their experiences in the produce industry, including going through the COVID years and their thoughts on what’s next in the evolving workplace. Moderator: Stewart Lapage – Oppy Panelists: • Jessica Levac – Bellemont Powell Ltd • Ryan Ostertag – Star Group/CFP Ltd • Katrina McMorrow – Global Citrus • Greg Palmer – Loblaw Companies In addition, we've added a new segment to each of our monthly episodes called Industry Insights. Listen to the end of the podcast as Mike Mauti shares some current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

This is the recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA Convention and Trade Show in Toronto. Effective leadership is essential to ensure sustainability and innovation across the produce industry. This recording focuses on some female leaders who are helping move the food industry forward utilizing innovative solutions to challenges that impact the long-term sustainability of food in Canada. Moderator: Kimberly Roberts – Walmart Canada Panelists: • Stephanie Sansen – Loop Mission • Sangeeta Lalli – TELUS Agriculture • Susan Jones Ng – Limoneira Company • Amy Bowen – Vineland Research & Innovation Center We've added a new segment to each of our monthly episodes called Industry Insights. Listen to the end of the podcast as Mike Mauti shares some current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

In this episode, we’re excited to present the annual “Between Two Chairs” podcast. Ron Lemaire shares stories with the previous CPMA Chair Mario Masellis and current CPMA Chair Colin Chapdelaine. Mario is with Catania Worldwide and Colin Chapdelaine is with the Star Group. Listen as they tell us where the industry is going and how sustainability and innovation are keys to the future of the produce industry. We've added a new segment to each of our monthly episodes called Industry Insights. Listen to the end of the podcast as Mike Mauti shares some current statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

In this episode, we listen to the recording of the Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA’s Convention and Trade Show in Toronto.Supply chain challenges continue to impact the fresh produce industry. Compounding these issues, geopolitical, weather and economic impacts are now at the forefront of pressure to maintain the supply of fresh produce in a period of increasing concern about food prices. Canadian buyers will speak to their biggest challenges, the potential impacts across their supply chains and what changes they may be anticipating in the year ahead. Moderator: Mario Masellis – Catania Worldwide, CPMA Chair 2022-2023 Panelists: • Andrea Vandergrift – Costco Wholesale Canada • Lindsay Young – Federated Cooperatives Ltd • Sierra Johnston – Save-On-Foods • Jeff Fowler – Sobeys Inc • Jen Zavala – Gordon Food Service Canada We are very pleased to add a new short segment to each of our monthly episodes called Industry Insights. At the end of this episode, we’ll hear from Mike Mauti with some statistics from the Canadian consumer market. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

Greg Ogiba is the Chair of the CPMA Education Committee and President of Mike and Mike’s. In this episode, Greg leads a discussion about mentorship and CPMA’s Passion for Produce Program with Jessica Levac of Bellemont Powell and Michael Wexler of the Oppenheimer Group. CPMA looks forward to hosting the next group of 18 Passion for Produce participants at the CPMA Convention and Trade Show April 25th-27th, 2023 in Toronto. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

In this episode, CPMA’s registered dietitian, Jen Ong Tone, discusses money-saving tips to help consumers continue to eat healthy with fruits and vegetables. She is joined by Christina Iaboni and Laurence Vezina as they discuss ways to stretch your food dollars in a safe and healthy way and offer other tips from the halfyourplate.ca website. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

This episode tackles the challenging goal of reducing plastics in produce packaging. Daniel Duguay is CPMA’s packaging specialist and coordinator for the pilot project developing sustainable packaging guides for the food and produce industry. We hear about an innovative new product that is helping reduce plastic packaging in cucumbers. Daniel introduces the topic and leads the discussion with: • Colton Moore - Commercial Director of New Products Introductions, Apeel Sciences • Joseph Talbourdet - Director of Marketing and Business Development, Topline/Westmoreland Sales • Dan Branson - Director of Business and Product Development, Mucci Farms Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

This episode features a recording of one of the 2022 Convention and Trade Show Learning Lounges, Growing in Produce. Moderator Mike Catalano of The Wonderful Company discusses with other young professionals who are Passion for Produce program (PFP) alumni about how they started in the produce industry and their current roles. The panelists are: • Kevin Sorichetti, EarthFresh • Stephanie Myles, Nature Fresh Farms • Kelsey Van Lissum, Oppy • Vaughn Smith, Global Citrus Group The discussion is also around the benefits of CPMA's PFP program and how their PFP mentors continue to help them succeed. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness month in Canada. We welcome Johnny McGuire and Eric Regnier who are representing the Produce Supply Organization. The PSO is a not-for-profit organization that was established to help suppliers in the produce industry understand and use technology effectively. We have a discussion about cybersecurity and what organizations need to know and what they should be doing to combat the many cyber threats that exist today. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

In this episode, CPMA President, Ron Lemaire and CPMA Chair, Mario Masellis of Catania Worldwide welcome the 2022 CPMA Produce Champion, Scot Davidson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for York-Simcoe. CPMA’s annual Produce Champion award is given to one or more Members of Parliament and/or a Senator who have been supportive of the produce industry and effective at bringing industry issues to the forefront on Parliament Hill. In the second part of the podcast, Ron Lemaire leads a panel of discussion consisting of Quinton Woods of Gwillimdale Farms, Fred Webber, former CEO of DRC, Guy Milette of Courchesne Larose, and Colin Chapdelaine of Star Produce. The panel discusses the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act (C-280), which was recently introduced in the House of Commons by MP Scot Davidson, the history and the importance of this bill, and how people can get involved to support it through the legislative process. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

In this episode we feature the recording of a Learning Lounge from our recent Convention and Trade Show in Montréal. Listen now to Moderator Michèle McMillan of Ippolito Fruit and Produce, as she speaks with Julie Trepanier of The Wonderful Company, Susan Leung of Fresh Direct Produce and Jennie Coleman of Equifruit about their experiences in the produce industry. They share some interesting personal and professional stories and offer some suggestions to help other women succeed and thrive. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

In this episode, we feature a recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA Convention and Trade Show. As we come out of the global pandemic, the disruptions in the supply chain are still a stress on the produce industry. Listen to some of the buyers for Canadian retailers to learn how they’ve had to adjust and how their expectations are shifting for today and into the future. Moderator: Mario Masellis – Catania Worldwide Panelists: Steve Boulianne – Metro Zack Jones – Save-On-Foods Jeff Fowler – Sobeys Emily Vosburgh – Gordon Food Service Mimmo Franzone – Longo Brothers Food Markets Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.

CPMA President Ron Lemaire chats with past Chair Guy Milette of Courchesne Larose and current Chair Mario Masellis of Catania Worldwide. This annual Between Two Chairs special features them talking about the current produce industry challenges and issues and how our industry helps consumers continue to enjoy fresh produce in these challenging times. They also discuss their other activities during the past year including the successful in-person Convention and Trade Show in Montréal and they look forward to our next annual Convention and Trade Show in Toronto in April, 2023. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms. CPMA would also like to acknowledge Fresh from Florida as a sponsor of this podcast.