Best Producetalks Podcasts (2025)

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Growing Your Career in Produce: Insights from the Passion for Produce Program Alumni 16:17

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9d ago16:17

16:17

In this episode, Jennifer Ong Tone, Manager of Health & Education at CPMA sits down with three alumni of CPMA’s Passion for Produce (PFP) Program – Biagio Fonicolo, Senior Buyer at Canadawide Fruits, Janis Deschênes, Sales Manager (Retail, Wholesale, & Food Service) at Highline Mushrooms, and Jenna Peters, Brand Promotions Manager at Mucci Farms to…

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Advocacy for fresh produce 27:43

14d ago27:43

27:43

In this episode of Produce Talks, Shannon Sommerauer, CPMA Senior Director of Government Relations & Industry Technology is joined by George Pitsikoulis, CPMA past Chair and President and CEO of Canadawide Fruit Wholesalers Inc., Adri de Wet, President of Fresh Direct Produce, and Hutch Morton, Senior Vice President of J.E. Russell Produce for a bi…

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Between Two Chairs: Navigating Change in Canada’s Produce Sector 27:31

1M ago27:31

27:31

CPMA President Ron Lemaire sits down with CPMA Chair Steve Bamford, CEO of Fresh Advancements, Bamford Produce, and Freshline Foods, and past CPMA Chair George Pitsikoulis, President and CEO of Canadawide Fruit Wholesalers Inc. The three talk leadership, advocacy, and the future of fresh produce. From navigating supply chain and geopolitical challe…

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Something Fresh: A New Season of Produce Talks 0:57

2M ago0:57

0:57

Produce Talks, brought to you by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, is back with shorter, more frequent episodes packed with what’s new in the produce industry. This season features a special sustainability series on food waste, packaging, and more, along with consumer insights with influencers, dietitians, and marketing research experts. …

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Produce and Politics – What does the new federal government mean for fresh produce in Canada? 24:39

4M ago24:39

24:39

In an ever-shifting geopolitical environment, Canada has elected a minority government with many new faces on Parliament Hill. In this episode, CPMA President Ron Lemaire is joined by David Coletto, founder, Chair and CEO of Abacus Data. They break down the post-election political landscape and emerging consumer trends, what we know about Prime Min…

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State of Trade: A New Era of International Trade 46:30

7M ago46:30

46:30

At the CPMA Annual Convention Ron Lemaire, CPMA and John Stackhouse from RBC held a fireside chat to explore the current state of the North American agri-food and produce market. They delve into key issues such as macroeconomic trends affecting supply chains, ongoing trade and market access challenges for agri-food, and the ripple effects of volati…

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CPMA Produce Champion Lianne Rood 38:56

1y ago38:56

38:56

CPMA President Ron Lemaire is very pleased to introduce MP Lianne Rood as CPMA’s 2024 Produce Champion. Lianne is the Member of Parliament for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex in Ontario. Joining the conversation are CPMA Board Members, Steve Bamford of Fresh Advancements and Quinton Woods of Gwillimdale Farms. CPMA’s annual Produce Champion award is given t…

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Supply Chain Innovation and Sustainability: Iceless Broccoli 34:53

1y ago34:53

34:53

In this episode of Produce Talks, Dan Duguay, CPMA’s Sustainability Specialist, leads a discussion with Tom Pierce of Sobeys and Matt Aronson of Verdant Technologies. In an effort to improve sustainability in the supply chain for broccoli, these two companies worked together in a pilot project to remove ice from broccoli shipments and actually impr…

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Consumers and the Retail Perspective 34:49

1+ y ago34:49

34:49

In this episode of Produce Talks, we listen to the recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA Annual Convention and Trade Show in Vancouver. Moderator Colin Chapdelaine of Whole Leaf, leads a discussion with 4 representatives from the retail sector. They provide their insights about changes in consumer buying and their strategies to enable…

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Women in Produce - Mentorship 32:50

1+ y ago32:50

32:50

In this episode of Produce Talks, we listen to the recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA Annual Convention and Trade Show in Vancouver. Moderator Jessica Levac of Bellemont Powell leads a discussion with 4 other women as they speak about the power of mentorship, how they have benefited from mentors and how women can get involved in a …

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Young Professionals – Attracting and Keeping Emerging Leaders 30:03

1+ y ago30:03

30:03

In this episode, we listen to the recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA’s Annual Convention and Trade Show in Vancouver. Moderator Kevin Sorichetti of EarthFresh Foods leads a discussion with Passion for Produce Alumni who speak about their produce journeys, what motivates them, and what they expect from their employer. Panellists inc…

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CPMA Innovation Zone Company Spotlight (Part 2) 39:52

1+ y ago39:52

39:52

Industry innovation is a key area of focus for CPMA. Over the years, CPMA has offered its members the opportunity to share their innovation efforts and facilitated connections to new innovators in the produce industry. In this episode, we hear from 3 different innovative companies about their products and their experiences at the Innovation Zone at…

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January 2024 State of the Canadian produce industry 36:20

1+ y ago36:20

36:20

In this episode, Jane Proctor, CPMA’s Vice President of Policy & Issue Management leads a discussion with CPMA Chair, Colin Chapdelaine, Brian Faulkner of BCfresh and Sue Lewis, CPMA’s Vice President of Market Development on the state of the Canadian produce industry. The four share their perspectives on: • Two recent research reports on the enormo…

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Year-End discussion with David Coletto 43:40

2y ago43:40

43:40

Ron Lemaire President of CPMA leads a Year in Review discussion with David Coletto. David is the Chair and CEO of Abacus Data, a Canadian market and public opinion research agency. Ron and David give an overview of what Canadians think of the political climate and how it relates to the fruit and vegetable industry. David also provides insights to h…

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Government Proposals for Packaging Regulations 29:51

2y ago29:51

29:51

In this episode, Dan Duguay, CPMA’s Sustainability Specialist, provides an update on the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) packaging regulations that aim to significantly reduce plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables. We discuss CPMA and the industry’s response to these proposals and report on the impact they would have on the…

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CPMA Innovation Zone Company Spotlight 39:45

2y ago39:45

39:45

In this episode, we hear from different innovative companies and incubators about their products and how they have benefited from the Innovation Zone at the CPMA Convention and Trade Show. The first part features Mike Mauti interviewing Denise VanderVeen of CleanWorks, a produce innovator, and Andrew Wylie of Vineland Research and Innovation Centre…

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CPMA Produce Champion MP Kody Blois 53:19

2y ago53:19

53:19

This episode features CPMA President, Ron Lemaire, CPMA Board Member, Kendra Mills of the PEI Potato Board, and the 2023 CPMA Produce Champion, Member of Parliament (MP) Kody Blois, in a discussion about opportunities and key challenges within the fresh produce sector in Canada, and how Members of Parliament can help advance the goals of the Canadi…

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Young Professionals – Growing in Produce 36:30

2y ago36:30

36:30

In this episode, we listen to the recording of the Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA’s Convention and Trade Show in Toronto. Moderator Stewart Lapage from Oppy talks with 4 Passion for Produce Alumni. These young professionals talk about their experiences in the produce industry, including going through the COVID years and their thoughts on what…

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Women in Produce 37:28

2y ago37:28

37:28

This is the recording of a Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA Convention and Trade Show in Toronto. Effective leadership is essential to ensure sustainability and innovation across the produce industry. This recording focuses on some female leaders who are helping move the food industry forward utilizing innovative solutions to challenges that im…

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Between Two Chairs 52:24

2+ y ago52:24

52:24

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 an…

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The Changing Supply Chain – A Buyer’s Perspective 43:28

2+ y ago43:28

43:28

In this episode, we listen to the recording of the Learning Lounge from the recent CPMA’s Convention and Trade Show in Toronto.Supply chain challenges continue to impact the fresh produce industry. Compounding these issues, geopolitical, weather and economic impacts are now at the forefront of pressure to maintain the supply of fresh produce in a p…

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Mentorship and the CPMA Passion for Produce Program 29:40

2+ y ago29:40

29:40

Greg Ogiba is the Chair of the CPMA Education Committee and President of Mike and Mike’s. In this episode, Greg leads a discussion about mentorship and CPMA’s Passion for Produce Program with Jessica Levac of Bellemont Powell and Michael Wexler of the Oppenheimer Group.CPMA looks forward to hosting the next group of 18 Passion for Produce participa…

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Saving money on food: Insights from the nutrition community 41:00

2+ y ago41:00

41:00

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. Play t…

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Sustainable Produce Packaging 25:45

3y ago25:45

25:45

This episode tackles the challenging goal of reducing plastics in produce packaging. Daniel Duguay is CPMA’s packaging specialist and coordinator for the pilot project developing sustainable packaging guides for the food and produce industry. We hear about an innovative new product that is helping reduce plastic packaging in cucumbers. Daniel intro…

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Young professionals and CPMA's PFP program 28:30

3y ago28:30

28:30

This episode features a recording of one of the 2022 Convention and Trade Show Learning Lounges, Growing in Produce. Moderator Mike Catalano of The Wonderful Company discusses with other young professionals who are Passion for Produce program (PFP) alumni about how they started in the produce industry and their current roles. The panelists are: • K…