How Produce Brands are Showing Up: Insights from Inside the 2025 Global Produce & Floral Show
Food brands showed up bigger and better this year at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show. From bold booth designs to functional food trends and interactive experiences, IFPA 2025 proved brands can earn attention with intention. For marketers, that means showing up in thoughtful ways.
We walked the show floor hungry for conversation and insights into how produce brands are showing up in the year ahead. Here’s what stood out to our team.
Bigger, Bolder Branding
Brands pushed their physical presence further this year, proving a standout booth still matters. From top talent to towering signage, these are just a few of the ways brands showed up bigger and bolder:
Large-scale structures helped brands exude confidence and helped attendees navigate through the noise on the show floor.
Many booths left no surface uncovered, maximizing every touchpoint to reinforce the key messages brands wanted visitors to remember.
Several brands brought celebrities into the spotlight, generating lots of booth traffic and social shares.
From eye-catching colors to unexpected appearances, booth design at this year’s event leaned into brand personality. Strong visuals helped exhibitors cement their place in attendees’ minds long after they left.
Connecting to Consumer Curiosities
Around every corner of the show floor this year, one topic kept popping up: functional benefits.
Consistent with what early adopter consumers said in the 2025 Consumer Curiosity Report, gut health was a top driver of conversation. Many brands positioned familiar snacks as gut-healthy or digestive-friendly, meeting consumers where their curiosity is.
Protein, probiotics and skin-loving claims made for simple, memorable messages. Across categories, we saw callouts for protein, collagen, antioxidants and other benefit-focused language that framed these produce products as functional foods.
For the marketers on the floor, these curiosities seemed to create immediate relevance.
Engaging Activations Drive Traffic
Gamified experiences ruled this year. Claw machines, arcade games and Space Invaders-style setups drew long lines and sparked conversations. Games turn quick visits into extended stays, and that time spent lingering helped brands build connections.
Fresh takes on engagement also included a flash tattoo station and a live muralist. These unique experiences helped make visitors feel part of something, rather than simply passing through.
But beyond the flashy, fun activations, the most impactful presences had people behind them, ready to talk, listen to and guide their visitors. Events like this work best when brands show up as both hosts and humans, and Curious Plot was delighted to be among those teams on the show floor supporting clients and facilitating new conversations with those peers and partners in attendance.
In-Person Interaction Still Wins
An excellent expo proves there’s no real replacement for showing up. Gatherings like IFPA allow for shared experiences that digital touchpoints can’t always replicate.
Our team made lasting memories and valuable connections with client partners, industry peers and each other, both on the floor and after hours. These experiences will continue to help us build trust and drive better work until we meet again to make produce marketing magic happen.
IFPA 2025 made it clear the most memorable brands are the ones that make themselves impossible to ignore. Big visuals, functional benefits, playful activations and genuine human connection all help turn event traffic into brand impact.
If you’re preparing for an upcoming event or seeking strategic food marketing support, our team is here to help. Contact our food team leader, Katya Murray, or explore our website to learn more.
Danielle Violante is an account supervisor at Curious Plot. With more than 10 years of experience in the fresh produce and food technology sectors, she draws on her background in strategic marketing and product innovation to help uncover opportunities at the intersection of agriculture, food and consumer trends.