Fresh Takes On Tech

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60. Back to School with Fresh Produce Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

Students are heading back to school, but don’t forget about one of the most important parts of the day - - lunch! Thanks to Fred Espinosa , Director of Food and Nutrition for the San Diego Unified School District and Janelle Manzano , Specialist for the Farm to School Program, students are getting access and education to the “full plate” of their lunches and even growing their own produce to consume!

Join us as we connect with foodservice administrators from California’s second-largest school district, and discover how they are prioritizing fresh produce and nutrition education as part of the thousands of meals they serve each day. Whether it’s school-site gardens, salad bars, farmer trading cards, virtual farm tours or in-class nutrition education, the San Diego Unified School District is leading the way, when it comes to promoting fresh fruit and veggies.

Join us as we discuss:

School meals with updated nutrition standards that require fruits and veggies
Farm to School programming in the San Diego Unified School District
Creating a hands-on experience for students with school gardens
Attending the IFPA Foodservice Conference with other K-12 school foodservice leaders

59. Locally Grown Through Vertical Farming Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

Growing crops at full capacity is one of the many extreme challenges for farmers. But there are innovations that help them create new techniques to meet these challenges head on — like vertical farming.

With the help of Netled and Kasey Snyder, Sales Operations Manager, they are expanding the innovation of vertical farming to help farmers grow their crops at a higher capacity in any condition nature throws at them.

Join us as we discuss:

The early stages of the vertical farming process
Marketing Netled to prospective growers and U.S. expansion
Developing new technologies in farming
Making vertical farming commercially viable

58. Solving the Uncertainty in Farming with Digital Playbooks Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

The uncertainty of farming conditions is one of the toughest challenges the produce industry faces.

Thanks to Founder and CEO Ros Harvey of The Yield, their mission is to help create a digital playbook based on valuable data from farmers that will help protect their produce.

Join us as we discuss:

Establishing digital playbooks to improve growing and supply chain conditions
Solving uncertainty in farming, like weather
Developing a sales cycle based on value through data collection

57. The Future of Automation is in the Fields Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Nexus Robotics is one of this year’s winners in IFPA’s Fresh Field Catalyst technology accelerator. It was founded in 2017 by engineering students from Halifax who wanted to disrupt and improve traditional farming practices.

They’re building innovative robotic tools that will free growers from backbreaking repetitive tasks — and encourage Canada’s agriculture industry to become more sustainable.

Teric Greenan is the COO, and his city-born perspective helps him ideate incisive solutions to agricultural issues.

Luc Labbe, CEO at Nexus, brings a wealth of experience and in-depth agronomic knowledge.

Join us as we discuss:

How robotic tech will help solve the agricultural labor shortage and lower costs
Teaching robots how to identify between different plants and eradicate weeds
Automating the dirty and dangerous jobs that no one wants to do
Adding value for farmers

56. Taste is King: Delivering Successful Produce with Tech Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

With the current supply chain issues, enjoying fresh and nutritious produce is more costly and difficult than ever before.

Consumers demand consistency, which hasn’t been possible with traditional methods. But technology is enabling producers to deliver great value and the best possible eating experience.

Kaitlin Fitzgerald is the VP of Sustainability at one of IFPA’s Fresh Field Catalyst winners, Sound Agriculture. They’re passionate about building a better and more sustainable food system.

Dorn Wenninger, Senior VP Produce at UNFI, is her mentor in our program and an industry expert with over 30 years of experience in the field.

Join us as we discuss:

The qualities buyers expect from their produce and how tech makes this possible
How providing consistency and a great experience increases repeat business
Partnerships, packaging, and produce branding
Taste, freshness, and affordability

55. Traceability is Crucial to the World Produce Industry Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

The IFPA’s Fresh Field Catalyst is a six-month tech accelerator has brought together startups and global corporations to create innovative solutions for the challenges currently facing the produce industry.

My guests today are current Fresh Field participants, Julie Escobar, Chief Commercial Officer at DiMuto, and her invaluable mentor in the program, Judy Clark, CEO at Fresh Texas.

Traceability is critical to consumer confidence, supply chain success, and fostering sustainable growing practices. It also encourages more much-needed global investment in agriculture.

Join us as we discuss:

Managing farm-to-table data through apps and QR codes for speed and accuracy
Supporting the move to sustainable practices
Connecting the farmer to the consumer and opening up Pacific Rim markets
How IFPA’s tech accelerator helps startups build crucial relationships

54. Keeping Things Fresh with Clarifruit and Dole Sunshine Company Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

In the latest season of Fresh Takes on Tech, we explore companies from International Fresh Produce Association’s Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator and start things off by talking with Elad Mardix, CEO & Co- Founder at Clarifruit & Barbara Guerpillon, Global Head of Ventures at Dole Sunshine Company about how they’re working together for sustainability in produce.

Join us as we discuss:

How Clarifuit is helping the Dole Sunshine Company with their six sustainability commitments
How Clarifruit uses technology to create realtime data for freshness and quality
What challenges are present by working with quality control from the cloud

53. Pulling it All Together: Conversation w/ John Purcell on Growing Systems in Produce Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

In the last 30 years, food production has changed dramatically thanks to technological advances.

Technology has made it so we have a deeper insight into everything from what’s being grown on every square foot of land, to responding quickly to the ever shifting needs of the consumer.

In the last episode of the season, I’m joined by John Purcell, CEO & President at Unfold, as we reflect on the conversations from previous episodes and talk how technology plays a role in every facet of growing produce.

Join us as we discuss:

How technology is being used and adapted in different production methods
The organic,regenerative and indoor movements
How technology is going to help make an impact on climate change

52. Walmart: Building a Healthy Supply Chain From Soil to Shopping Cart Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

The food systems supply chain is a vast network of people and products that is ever evolving.

If you’re working with more than 4,500 supplies, working together to create a more sustainable future that’s good for the planet and for the people, becomes that much more of a challenge.

Walmart depends on each step working together to build the future for their consumers.

In this episode, I’m joined by Walmart’s Marco Reyes, Sr. Director Industry Initiatives and Portfolio Management, Michael Yates, Sr. Director Innovations Agricultural Strategy, and Laura Himes, Senior Merchandising Director, to talk about how the retailer is working across the food systems to provide good food from soil to shopping cart.

Join us as we discuss:

How the supply chain is working to build a healthy supply chain
Communicating with consumers on how and where produce was grown
Technologies part in food systems

51. How CEA Produce Fit into The Mix of Our Diet Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Pesticide free, locally grown and certified food safe controlled environmental agriculture.

Is this the future of farming? Should we switch to an efficient method of farming that preserves water?

In this episode, I’m joined by Katie Seawell, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Bowery Farming, to talk about vertical farming, its efficiency, sustainability and quality.

Join us as we discuss:

The logistics behind controlled environment agriculture
Bowery’s philosophy around vertical farming
The social, economic and environmental benefits of indoor farming

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