United Fresh again is providing new ways to keep buyers and sellers connected, starting with the return of the United Fresh Partner X-Change program taking place Sept. 21-23 on United Fresh Live! 365. As part of its Annual Washington Conference, 26 buyers and vendors will connect directly through private 15-minute matchmaking sessions.
“The inaugural Partner X-Change was very productive for us,” said Paul Kneeland, executive director of fresh operations for Gelson’s. “We had follow-up meetings with many of the vendors we met and look forward to making new relationships as a participant once again.”
“Looking at our Partner X-Change schedule, we anticipate the variety of vendor meetings will give us exposure to potential new suppliers and service provider partners and allow us to connect them with the appropriate party within our organization.” said Frank Padilla, VP and general merchandise manager produce and meat for Costco Wholesale.
“As a first-time participant in United’s Partner X-Change program, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to make the most use of my time, and that of the vendor partners,” said Kelly Davis, director of produce and floral for Allegiance Retail Services. “The 15-minute meetings will be perfect to ensure limited disruption to our already pressed day.”
Participating buyers
The 26 participating buyers include Albertsons Cos., Allegiance Retail Services, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Big Y Foods Inc., Blue Apron, Brookshire Grocery Co., Chick-fil-A Inc., Costco Wholesale, Danaco Solution LLC, Diversified Restaurant Systems, FreshPoint, Gelson’s Markets, Grocery Outlet Inc., Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Hy-Vee Inc., McDonald’s Corp., Meijer, SpartanNash, Sysco Corp., Target Corp., The Kroger Co., Tops Friendly Markets, US Foods, Wakefern Food Corp., Wegmans Food Markets Inc. and Whole Foods Market.
To register for the United Fresh Annual Washington Conference, where you can interact with other attendees including more than 10,000 registered users, visit unitedfresh.org.
United Fresh launched the fresh produce industry’s first virtual convention and expo this June on its platform United Fresh Live!, attracting more than 7,500 industry professionals across the globe for more than 160,000 interactions throughout one week in June.
