Orlando, FL – The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) and United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) are proud to announce the inaugural Global Cold Chain Expo, to be held in June  2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Corey Rosenbusch, President & CEO for GCCA and Tom Stenzel, President & CEO for United Fresh, jointly made the announcement during the IARW-WFLO Convention & Expo being held this week in Orlando, FL.

The Global Cold Chain Expo will be a one-stop-shop for all cold chain needs with 25,000 square feet of trade show space featuring hundreds of exhibitors from every sector of the cold chain, including material handling, warehousing, construction, supply chain/logistics solutions and transportation providers. Co-located with FMI Connect, the International Floriculture Expo, and United Fresh, the Global Cold Chain Expo will attract more than 15,000 key decision makers from retail, foodservice, processing, production, distribution, logistics, and transportation. Attendees will represent frozen, refrigerated, ambient and fresh operations.

“Increasingly, the fresh produce industry is being challenged to compete with locally grown, short haul fruits and vegetables that are picked closer to ripeness”, said Stenzel. “We believe the only way we can enhance quality control in our supply chain is a deep dive into the cold chain and technologies that bring our growers, packers and wholesalers closer to the consumer”.

For industry suppliers, the Global Cold Chain Expo provides a competitive advantage by building brand awareness, expanding audience penetration to all global buyers of temperature-controlled transportation and facilities, and connecting suppliers to key decision makers. Their products and services will be on the world’s largest stage in the cold chain industry.

“The cold chain industry has evolved -- the pallet-in, pallet-out storage business of yesterday has transformed into a total logistics solution”, stated Rosenbusch. “Today’s customers place a higher value and priority on total cold chain solutions, no matter which industry and anywhere in the world”.

As a partnership between GCCA and United Fresh, the Global Cold Chain Expo will be co-located with some of the largest food shows in the world.  The Global Cold Chain Expo is the perfect opportunity to spotlight the cold chain industry and its role as a critical component in feeding the world’s ever growing population by connecting farmers and producers to consumers – all while maintaining food safety and quality.

Contact: Megan Costello, Vice President, Member & Industry Affairs, GCCA at +1 703 373 4300 ext. 201 or mcostello@gcca.org

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GCCA

Comprised of its Core Partners, including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, the World Food Logistics Organization, the International Refrigerated Transportation Association, and the International Association for Cold Storage Construction, the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) represents all major industries engaged in temperature-controlled logistics. GCCA unites partners to be innovative leaders in the temperature-controlled products industry. For more information about GCCA, visit www.gcca.org

United Fresh

Founded in 1904, the United Fresh Produce Association brings together companies across every segment of the fresh produce supply chain, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations. We empower industry leaders to shape sound government policy. We deliver the resources and expertise companies need to succeed in managing complex business and technical issues. We provide the training and development individuals need to advance their careers in produce. And, through these endeavors, we unite our industry with a common purpose – to build long-term value for our members and grow produce consumption. For more information about United Fresh, visit www.unitedfresh.org