Look who’s talking at Fruitnet Citrus Congress 2024

Leading representatives from across the produce value chain will meet at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia on 5 & 6 November for Fruitnet Citrus Congress. The event brings together key players from Spain and the international citrus business to talk about how to grow consumption and make the category more profitable.

The two-day event (one day conference plus study tours) offers valuable insights and an excellent networking forum for the citrus business. It features a lively mixture of presentations, panel discussion and interviews – and plenty of time for networking and business meetings.

The conference programme is divided into two stages exploring different issues that affect the global citrus business: The Headline Stage looks at fresh ways to market citrus, while the Sustainability Stage focuses on post-harvest, varietal innovation and certification.

The Headline Stage programme kicks off with a deep dive into key consumption trends by marketing data specialist Kantar, and Desmond Jas of leading Dutch importer Olympic Fruit, followed by analysis from our retail panel, including Stephan Weist of German retailer Rewe and Maria Wieloch of Sweden’s ICA Gruppen.

The programme then turns to how to market citrus more effectively. Nele Moorthamers, Zespri’s head of marketing for Europe and North America and Shelly Vorster, marketing director of the World Avocado Organisation provide case studies on the power of successful use of health and nutritional messaging; while SanLucar’s brand and creative director Nuria Pizán and Marijke Appel, strategic communications manager EMEA of leading berry brand Driscoll’s, give an expert view of how to build a global produce brand.

Carlo Magni of New Zealand-based produce marketing specialist Forward Insights & Strategy explains how sensory consumer research can help produce companies make better decisions in varietal develop and brand creation.

The Headline Stage programme concludes with an in-depth discussion at the future of Spanish citrus. Consultant Paco Borrás, Miguel Abril of Anecoop are among the experts who will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Spanish producers.

On the Sustainability Stage we tackle more production-oriented themes. Our expert post-harvest panel of Decco, Citrosol and AgroFresh are on hand to discuss some of the new technologies helping to maximise profit potential, minimise losses and make citrus more sustainable. We also hear from startups Apeel and AgroSustain about what they are bringing to the coatings market, and Salvador Martínez of Obeikan gives his take on how the right packaging can help suppliers to stand out from the crowd.

In a session on varietal innovation, José Cuenca of Avasa and Sven Thomas of Jaguar Fresh Fruit outline how genetic improvements are producing better performing citrus varieties more attuned to consumer demands.

The Sustainability Stage’s final session tackles an issue affecting all suppliers: certification and compliance. There are too many certification schemes in the industry and this places a heavy cost and time burden on producers. Jim Jefcoate of the Food Experts consultancy and Enja Matthee of Farmable show how it is possible to cut the complexity of compliance and sustainability in fresh food supply chains.

Day Two of the Fruitnet Citrus Congress on 6 November 2024 has a range of study tour options, including guided visits to production and packhouse sites, an on-foot retail safari, plus a tour of the Todolí Citrus Foundation, where visitors can see more than 400 citrus varieties from around the world at a single 3ha farm. Places are limited so delegates are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

Fruitnet Citrus Congress takes place at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, one of the most striking modern architectural complexes in Spain.

View the full agenda here.

Register now to take advantage of the early bird rate offering a 20 per cent reduction on the standard price for individual and group bookings. This is available until 5 September.

We look forward to seeing you in Valencia!