Produce Talks: Between Two Chairs

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.

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Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

Saving money on food: Insights from the nutrition community

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.

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Thank you to our podcast series sponsor, Nature Fresh Farms.

       

Cybersecurity Awareness for the Produce Industry

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.

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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.
       

Produce Champion MP Scot Davidson and Financial Protection Bill Panel

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.

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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.
       

Women in Produce

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.

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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.
       

Between Two Chairs

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.

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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.
       

Ambassador of Colombia Jorge Londono

In this podcast we welcome Mr. Jorge Londono de la Cuesta who has been the Ambassador of Colombia to Canada since November 2020. Ambassador Londono speaks with CPMA President Ron Lemaire about the economic opportunities in his South American country. He also talks about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how his country is recovering economically. Listen to hear Ambassador Londono share his insights and his country’s trade goals and the opportunities for Canadian produce companies in Colombia.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsors, Nature Fresh Farms and Fresh From Florida.

                 

Produce & Politics: Federal election 2021 and current issues facing the fresh produce supply chain in Canada

This edition of Produce Talks is a recording of our October webinar on the 2021 federal election results and the impact on the fresh produce industry. David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, shares his election analysis and insights, followed by a roundtable discussion with industry leaders on issues requiring federal government action. Current issues such as supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, sustainability, and the need for a Canadian financial protection tool for produce sellers are discussed.
Be sure to check out this insightful and engaging conversation featuring the following panelists:
• David Coletto (Abacus Data)
• Ron Lemaire (CPMA)
• Guy Milette (Courchesne Larose)
• David Dube (Krown Produce)
• Quinton Woods (Gwillimdale Farms)
• Larry McIntosh (retired from Peak of the Market)

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Thank you to our podcast sponsors, Nature Fresh Farms and Fresh From Florida.

                 

CPMA Produce Person of the Year – Larry McIntosh

In this episode, Ron Lemaire has a discussion with Larry McIntosh, a past Chair of CPMA and the 2021 Produce Person of the Year. Larry has spent 27 years in the produce industry, recently retiring as CEO of Peak of the Market. We talk about how the produce industry has evolved over years, the resilience of our sector and the future hurdles that we will continue to overcome. Among many other topics, Larry tells us that he feels CPMA’s Passion for Produce program is the best program in the industry for young professionals and shares his advice for PFP participants to achieve success in business.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsors, Nature Fresh Farms and Fresh From Florida.

                 

CPMA Produce Champion 2021 - Senator Rob Black

In this episode, we feature a discussion with the CPMA 2021 Produce Champion, Ontario Senator Rob Black, who is a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. CPMA's annual Produce Champion award is given to one or more Member(s) of Parliament and/or Senator(s) who have been supportive of the produce industry and effective at bringing industry issues to the forefront on Parliament Hill. Senator Black shares his story on how he became a Senator and how he has worked to further the interests of agriculture in Canada, throughout his professional career and, more recently in Ottawa.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

                 

Sustainability for Produce – A Conversation About the Present & Future

Sustainability has been a focus for the produce industry for many years and is a complex issue with multiple areas of focus. In Canada current areas of focus include the potential of a Canadian index to benchmark Agri-food sustainability, government focus on issues such as carbon credits and industry-led initiatives to improve sustainability. This episode provides industry insight on some of the key areas of focus including Canada’s Sustainability Index, greenhouse gas (GHG) sequestration, biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. Guests on this episode include Scott Ross of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Keith Kuhl of Southern Potato, Quinton Woods of Gwillimdale Farms, and David McInnes representing the National Index of Agri-Food Performance.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

                 

Emerging Pathogens – A Conversation with Canada’s Experts

Foodborne illnesses continue to bed a source of concern within the fresh produce industry. CPMA asked two of Canada's top food safety professionals to join us in discussing recent outbreaks, the challenges in identifying outbreaks and what the future of outbreaks may look like. Lisa Sparrow-Moellenbeck, Food Safety Manager, Federated Co-operatives spoke with Joyce Cheng - Acting Manager Outbreak Management, Public Health Agency Canada and Dr. Lawrence Goodridge - Director - Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS), Graduate Coordinator - Food Safety & Quality Assurance Program, University of Guelph.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

                 

Special 100th episode of CPMA podcast: The Produce industry through the lenses of CPMA’s Past Chairs

On this special 100^th episode of Produce Talks, Ron Lemaire, President of CPMA moderates a roundtable discussion with our Chair, Guy Milette of Courchesne Larose, and nine past CPMA Chairs including: Davis Yung of Fresh Direct Produce, Oleen Smethurst of Costco Wholesale Canada, Les Mallard of Fyffes, Rick Alcocer of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Mike Furi of Federated Co-operatives Limited, Walt Breeden of Oppy, Jim DiMenna of Red Sun Farms, Prentice Dent of Pear Bureau Northwest, and Larry McIntosh, former President and CEO of Peak of the Market.

This group of produce professionals brings well over 200 years of produce experience, and each looks back at his/her term as CPMA’s Chairs, revisiting how the industry and the Association operated, and how we collectively overcame adversity. The group also looks at how the pandemic has reshaped our market and ways that members and industry partners can navigate the future.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

                 

Women in Produce 2021

This episode we feature a panel of women in produce and recognize the achievements of women leading the promotion of produce in Canada. Earlier this year, CPMA partnered with Grocery Business Magazine to recognize some of the exceptional women in the industry. The Grocery Business article was released in the March/April edition recognizing ten outstanding women in produce. Joining this episode were Michèle McMillan with Thomas Fresh, Ashley Pinto at Loblaw and Luci Faas at Nature Fresh Farms.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

                 

Cultivating Corporate Culture for Business Performance

We’re back for 2019! On this episode we explore corporate culture and the inaugural CPMA Corporate Culture Award. Gaining insights from John Anderson at Oppy and Barrie Carlyle from Waterstone Human Capital, we discuss the challenges and, more importantly, the opportunities that corporate culture presents to the produce industry. We also chat about the inaugural CPMA Corporate Culture Award, an exclusive opportunity for CPMA members to examine their corporate culture and be considered for the award!

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

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Growing Produce Skills - LIVE - From the CPMA Trade Show Floor

When matching career expectations, communication is key. And with today’s generational shift discussing changing career priorities is becoming paramount to staff retention. Join us for an open conversation on current professional development expectations from young professionals in the industry and how those expectations align with the vision business leaders have for their employees.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Remember, if you have an idea for a podcast we want to hear from you.

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The Future is Floral - LIVE! From the CPMA Trade Show Floor

In this presentation from the CPMA Trade Show Floor we're exploring Fresh Trends in Floral. Pulling from his over 35 years of experience and unique insights into this part of the fresh category, J Schwanke  (ubloom.com) will discuss how the latest trends in the floral department are poised to influence the future of both the produce department and the broader retail industry. 

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Remember, if you have an idea for a podcast we want to hear from you.

You can subscribe to the podcast. 

Retail and the Industry Today - - LIVE! From the CPMA Trade Show Floor

From the Learning Lounge on the CPMA Trade Show floor, CPMA has queried industry leaders to create a series of questions for our retail panel that identify the biggest issues and hot buttons for retail and their expectations from their suppliers as they navigate the ever-changing Canadian retail landscape.

Speakers:   Frank Gambioli, Loblaw Companies

                    Jim Waites, Overwaitea Food Group

                    Reza Bafandeh, Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery Inc.

Moderator:  Les Mallard, Fyffes North America Inc.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Remember, if you have an idea for a podcast we want to hear from you.

You can subscribe to the podcast. 

My Produce Story featuring Angela Santiago and Brian Faulkner - LIVE! From the CPMA Trade Show Floor

This episode we’re taking you back to the Learning Lounge on the CPMA Trade Show Floor for a session featuring two interesting career stories. How often do you get a chance to sit down with a top level produce professional to find out about their produce story?  How they got to where they are and who helped them along the way?  This session will feature a deep dive into the careers of two such individuals:

• Angela Santiago, CEO and Co-Founder,  The Little Potato Company
• Brian Faulkner, VP Sales & Marketing, BC Fresh Vegetables Inc.

The discussion was moderated by Mario Masellis, from Catania Worldwide.

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Remember, if you have an idea for a podcast we want to hear from you.

You can subscribe to the podcast. 

Produce Disruptors: Trade, Transportation and Technology - LIVE! From the CPMA Trade Show Floor

This month on Produce Talks we’re bringing you to our Learning Lounge on the CPMA Trade Show Floor for the session on produce disruptors. NAFTA, ELDs, and other acronyms are having huge impacts on how businesses need to approach trade, transportation, and technology. So how do we mitigate these produce disruptors and ensure we’re prepared for what’s to come? Our panel of senior industry executives debate what they see as the essential details that companies need to pay attention to moving forward.

This panel featured Brent Lloyd, The Star Group, Guy Milette, Courchesne Larose Ltée, Stewart Lapage, The Oppenheimer Group and was hosted by Alison Robertson, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association  

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Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Remember, if you have an idea for a podcast we want to hear from you.

You can subscribe to the podcast.