Viva Fresh 2026 Education Delivers Roadmap to Future-Proof the Produce Industry 

TIPA and FutureBridge Unveil “Future of Fresh Merchandising” Whitepaper

San Antonio, Texas – The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) delivered high-impact education at the 2026 Viva Fresh Expo, equipping produce leaders with both real-time market insights and a forward-looking strategy to compete in a rapidly evolving global landscape.  

Headlining the education program, futurist economist Richard Kottmeyer of FutureBridge challenged attendees to look beyond consumer-related volatility and rethink how fresh produce can be positioned as a higher value, health linked, consumer relevant category over the next decade.

The keynote introduced “consumomics,” FutureBridge’s lens on how policy, economics, healthcare and consumer behavior are converging to reshape demand, and consumer purchasing, and unveiled the whitepaper and executive summary, now available to industry members. 

“Viva Fresh is about giving our members the tools to win, not just today, but well into the future,” said Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of TIPA. “This keynote wasn’t about reacting to disruption. It was about understanding the forces shaping demand and making smarter, long-term decisions that position our industry for growth.” 

The whitepaper, developed in partnership with FutureBridge, provides a strategic roadmap for produce companies to evolve beyond transactional selling toward demand-driven merchandising strategies rooted in consumer relevance, health outcomes, and value creation. 

Key takeaways from the keynote include: 

• Fresh produce is becoming part of the preventive health economy, and a tool in everyday wellbeing
• The next frontier is biological relevance focusing on merchandising for needs like energy, fullness, hydration, glucose control, and healthy snacking.
• Demand will be driven beyond the produce aisle by healthcare, GLP-1 use, school nutrition, wellness programs, sustainability, and affordability.
• Merchandising must become decision science linking needs, pricing, health, occasions, waste, and repeat buys.
• Top companies will create demand using education, clinical credibility, retail media, personalization, recipes, and benefit-led storytelling.

TIPA is providing access to both the whitepaper and executive summary to ensure members can translate these insights into action and accelerate growth across the supply chain and FutureBridge is available for consultation projects to help companies put strategy into action. 

Complementing the forward-looking keynote, the highly interactive “Market Mayhem” session, led by TIPA’s Dante Galeazzi and ag economist Dr. Michael Swanson of Wells Fargo, delivered a real-time pulse check on how macro forces are impacting produce businesses today. 

Using live audience polling, the session revealed a nuanced reality: while headlines are constant, their actual impact varies and operators must separate signal from noise. 

Among the key findings from more than 100 industry respondents: 

• Headlines matter – but not entirely: 
  78% said headlines impact decisions at least somewhat, but only 22% said “a lot”  
• Global conflict is real – but mostly disruptive, not catastrophic: 
  77% reported “some disruption,” while only 13% labeled it “market mayhem”  
• Tariffs remain a divided issue: 
  Nearly an even split, with 59% believing tariffs raise prices and 45% disagreeing  
• Labor and immigration are the most immediate pressure points: 
  69% said immigration-related issues are causing disruption or “market mayhem” today 
• Labor ranked as the #1 issue expected to impact business moving forward  
• Political and policy environments are widely felt: 
  95% said current political policies are impacting their business  
• Consumer pricing behavior is less predictable than assumed: 
  A majority (58%) said consumers are not highly sensitive to price changes  

“The industry’s next breakthrough may not come from growing more, shipping faster or discounting harder,” said Richard Kottmeyer, futurist economist at FutureBridge. “It may come from changing how the market understands the value of fresh produce. The contrarian opportunity is to stop defending produce as a perishable commodity and start proving it as infrastructure for health, affordability, food security and quality of life. That is where the next growth story will be written.”

“These results reinforce what we’re hearing across the industry; there’s no single force driving change,” said Galeazzi. “Labor, policy, global conflict, and consumer behavior are all interacting at once. The companies that win will be the ones that stay focused, interpret the data correctly, and make strategic, not reactive decisions.” 

Together, the keynote and Market Mayhem sessions delivered a unified message: the future of fresh produce belongs to companies that can balance short-term realities with long-term strategies. 

“As a $100 billion dollar industry, the opportunity in fresh produce has never been greater, but neither has the complexity,” Galeazzi added. “Our role at TIPA is to bring clarity to that complexity and give our members the tools, insights, and confidence to grow and the Tex-Mex corridor is the place to do it.” 

Industry members can access the Future of Fresh Merchandising whitepaper and executive summary here: https://consulting.futurebridge.com/the-future-of-fresh-merchandising 

About the Texas International Produce Association 
Founded in 1942, the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) promotes, advocates, educates and represents the nearly $13 billion in fresh produce that is either grown in the state or calls Texas the first point of US-arrival for North American distribution. For more information about TIPA, visit www.texipa.org or call 956-581-8632.  

About the Viva Fresh Expo   

The Viva Fresh Produce Expo was established in 2015 by the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) to create meaningful networking and educational opportunities for its members while shining a light on the importance of the Texas-Mexico trade corridor as a thriving hub for nutritious fruits and vegetables available year-round. The 2027 Viva Fresh Expo will return to the JW Marriott Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas, from April 8 to April 10, 2027. Visit www.vivafreshexpo.com for updates.   

About FutureBridge 

FutureBridge is a global innovation and strategy consulting firm that helps companies anticipate disruption, decode emerging markets and technologies, and convert future signals into growth decisions. The firm works with leadership teams across food and nutrition, life sciences, energy, chemicals, mobility and industrial sectors to support innovation strategy, market intelligence, technology scouting, portfolio prioritization and future ready growth planning. Learn more at www.futurebridge.com