Program

The INC Congress will provide ample opportunities for attendees to network, share knowledge and gain insight into the latest developments in the sector. Further details will become available as the event approaches.

MAY 10, 2026

INC LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

MAY 11, 2026

Golf Tournament

Show off your skills to your fellow peers at the INC Golf Tournament!

Sponsored by

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

INC SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS

MAY 12, 2026

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

TOUR FOR ACCOMPANYING PERSONS

The Accompanying Persons’ Tour is a thoughtfully curated experience designed to showcase the culture, flavors, and charm of the congress host destination. It offers a perfect opportunity to explore local heritage, cuisine, and hidden gems in a relaxed, social setting.

NUTFRUIT PLAZA & EXHIBITION BOOTHS

Elevate your networking experience at Nutfruit Plaza by hosting impactful business meetings and exploring our diverse exhibitors. Or, just stop by for a refreshing coffee or tea to stay energized throughout the day. 

MEETING AREA

Sponsored by Al Jameel International

Sponsored by

MORNING COFFEE

Sponsored by Almond Board of California

All-Day Coffee Sponsored by

CONGRESS OPENING

Excellence in Gastronomy Award Delivery

INC SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM: A NEW GLOBAL INITIATIVE

by Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director

Delivery of the 2025 Golden Nut Award, as well as the Excellence in Research and Excellence in Gastronomy Awards.

ALMONDS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Clarice Turner, President and CEO, Almond Board of California, USA

Panelists:

  • Craig Duerr, Vice President of Sales, Campos Brothers, USA 
  • Brenton Woolston, Managing Director, Almondco, Australia
  • Sameer Bhanushali, Managing Director, Ashapura Commodities, India
  • Zheng Fang, Purchasing Manager, Shanghai Chiyuan Bio-Technology Co., Ltd., China

COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Almond Board of California

RAISINS, PRUNES AND CRANBERRIES ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Kevin Kilpatrick, Senior Director of International Sales, Sunsweet Growers, USA

Panelists:

  • Ethan Cui, Sales Director, Lontrue Co., Ltd., China
  • Sems Özgür, Operations Director, Özgür Foods, Türkiye
  • Wessel Lemmer, CEO, Raisins South Africa, South Africa
  • Cristian Infante, CEO, Pacific Nuts & Dried Fruit, Chile
  • Seema Kedia, Senior Manager, Strategic Marketing, Ocean Spray, USA

NUTRITION RESEARCH SEMINAR

Chaired by Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chairman of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Human Nutrition Unit – University Rovira i Virgili (URV) and ICREA Academia Investigator, CIBERobn.

Nut Consumption and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases: Highlights from NUTS 2025 and Preliminary Findings from the NUTPOOL Study

Guest Speakers:

  • Prof. Alison Coates, Dean of Research Programs, Graduate Research School, Adelaide University, Australia

    “Weighing Up the Evidence on Nut and Dried Fruit Consumption and Weight Management”

  • Prof. Cyril Kendall, Senior Research Associate, University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital, and Adjunct Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

    “Nuts in the Prevention and Control of Diabetes: An Update of the Science”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

  • Brandy Niu, Vice President of JD.com and President of JD Retail FMCG, China

WORKING BUFFET LUNCH

Sponsored by

LAITRAM PANEL SESSION

Chaired by Corrado Carosella, Senior Trade Manager North America Export

Sponsored by

RAISINS SOUTH AFRICA PANEL SESSION

Speakers:

  • Joe Gray, Regional Operations Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA
  • Garrett Fine, Global Sales Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA

Sponsored by

WELCOME COCKTAIL

Sponsored by

MAY 13, 2026

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

TOUR FOR ACCOMPANYING PERSONS

The Accompanying Persons’ Tour is a thoughtfully curated experience designed to showcase the culture, flavors, and charm of the congress host destination. It offers a perfect opportunity to explore local heritage, cuisine, and hidden gems in a relaxed, social setting.

NUTFRUIT PLAZA & EXHIBITION BOOTHS

Elevate your networking experience at Nutfruit Plaza by hosting impactful business meetings and exploring our diverse exhibitors. Or, just stop by for a refreshing coffee or tea to stay energized throughout the day. 

MEETING AREA

Sponsored by Al Jameel 

Sponsored by

MORNING COFFEE

Sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds

All-Day Coffee Sponsored by

WALNUTS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Bill Carriere, President, Carriere Family Farms, USA

Panelists:

  • Christina Chen, General Manager, Chacha Food, China
  • David Valenzuela, Managing Director, La Invernada, Chile
  • Tatiana Calcii, Export Department Manager, Maestro Nut, Moldova
  • Gunjan V. Jain, Managing Director, VKC Nuts, India

BRAZIL NUTS, PINE NUTS, AND PEANUTS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Toño Pons, President, Importaco, Spain

Panelists:

  • Michael Barrett, Global Sales Director, White Lion Foods and Truly Nuts! Global, Peru/Brazil
  • Edward Danon, Director, Voicevale, UK
  • Emma Eyao, Sales Manager, Jonason S.E. Pine Nuts Food Co., Ltd., China
  • Mehmet Cikmaz, Executive Manager, Kahraman Tarim, Türkiye
  • Yiyi Zhang, Secretary General, Tree Nuts Sub-Chamber, China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products (CFNA), China
  • Lucas “Luke” Blaustein, President & CEO, American Peanut Council, USA

COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds

All-Day Coffee Sponsored by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company

All-Day Coffee Sponsored by

PECANS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Eduardo Alfaro, Vice President, Procurement, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., USA

Panelists:

  • Lalo Medina, President, Pecan Grove Farms, USA
  • Andreas Snyman, Executive Manager, GWK, South Africa
  • Mitch Yu, Purchasing Manager, Overseas Division, Three Squirrels, China
  • Edson Ortiz, Director/CEO, Divinut, Brazil

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

  • Jason Fu, Chief AI Expert for the Consumer Industry, Feishu, China

PISTACHIOS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Mike Hohmann, Executive VP and CFO, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds, USA

Panelists:

  • Mia Cohen, Chief Operating Officer, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, USA
  • Behrooz Agah, Member of the Board of Directors, Iran Pistachio Association, Iran
  • Ozan Yeşilyer, Trader, Tiryaki, Türkiye
  • Norbert Gasser, Founder and CEO, Fruitservice, Italy
  • Tianjin Lin (Linda), General Manager, Hangpai Food, China

WORKING BUFFET LUNCH

Sponsored by

ANYSORT PANEL SESSION

Speakers:

  • Joe Gray, Regional Operations Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA
  • Garrett Fine, Global Sales Manager, Laitram Machinery, USA

Sponsored by

SPONSORED PANEL SESSIONS

Speaker:

  • Dr. Markus Schlagbauer, CEO, Insort GmbH
  • Matthias Jeindl, CEO, Eivis Group
  • Raf Peters, Founder, QCIFY 

Sponsored by

CASUAL BUFFET DINNER

Buses depart at 6.30 pm

Sponsored by

MAY 14, 2026

CONGRESS REGISTRATION

NUTFRUIT PLAZA & EXHIBITION BOOTHS

Elevate your networking experience at Nutfruit Plaza by hosting impactful business meetings and exploring our diverse exhibitors. Or, just stop by for a refreshing coffee or tea to stay energized throughout the day. 

MEETING AREA

Sponsored by Al Jameel 

Sponsored by

MORNING COFFEE

Sponsored by Guangdong Nan Xing Rainbow Nut Co., Ltd

All-Day Coffee Sponsored by

HAZELNUTS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Vittorio Friedmann, Senior Trader, Voicevale, UK

Panelists:

  • Hasan Sabir, General Manager, Sabirlar, Türkiye
  • Jorge Mohr, Co-Founder and Director, Nefuen Trading, Chile
  • Larry George, President, George Packing Company, USA
  • Cheng Lu, Deputy General Manager, CHK Trading Co., Ltd., China, Hong Kong 
  • Riccardo Calcagni, CEO, Besana Group, Italy
  • Merab Chitanava, Chairman, Hazelnuts Growers Association, Georgia

DATES, APRICOTS AND FIGS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Ogan Ceryan, Board Member and Plant Manager, Anatolia AŞ, Türkiye

Panelists:

  • James Weaire, Managing Director, Chelmer Foods, UK

COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Guangdong Nan Xing Rainbow Nut Co., Ltd

INC AWARDS: SUSTAINABILITY & INNOVATION

Delivery of the 2026 Sustainability & Innovation Awards.

CASHEWS ROUND TABLE

Chaired Ümit Ergin, Senior Vice President, Nuts Sales Europe, Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Netherlands

Panelists:

  • Vigneshwar Rajkumar, Managing Director, Dorado Nuts, Cote d’Ivoire
  • Vu Thai Son, CEO, Long Son Joint Stock Co., Vietnam
  • Abel Santos, Managing Director, Intersnack Procurement, Netherlands
  • Ranjeet Wallia, President, CHI Commodities Handlers Inc., Canada
  • Halit Inan, Manager, Bravo Nuts Company, Jordan

MACADAMIAS ROUND TABLE

Chaired by Alex Whyte, Executive Chairman, Green Farms Nut Company, South Africa

Panelists:

  • Yuxiu Chen, CEO, Yunnan Macadamia Industry Development Group Co., Ltd., China
  • Ben Adams, CEO, Marquis Macadamias, Australia
  • Matti Spiecker, Founder & Director, Limbua, Kenya/Germany
  • Thomas Nottebohm, Managing Director, Mayan Gold Macadamia, Guatemala
  • Beatriz Camargo Leal, Director, QueenNut Macadamia, Brazil

WORKING BUFFET LUNCH

Sponsored by

COCKTAIL, GALA DINNER & BALL

Buses depart at 7:00 pm

The Gala Dinner & Ball at INC Congresses was the perfect way to wrap up a great event, and it is highly enjoyed at each congress. Remember, you need to save your spot for the Gala Dinner.

Important Information:

  • Attendance at the Gala Dinner is exclusive to registered congress participants and accompanying persons.
  • Seating is open, but if you’d like to reserve a table:
    • Reservations can only be made in groups of 10.
    • Two groups of 10 will be seated next to each other at a 20-person table.
    • Reservations will only be confirmed after all 10 guest names have been submitted.
    • Avoid guest overlap—ensure your guests are not already included in another reservation.

To secure your table, complete the reservation form by clicking below.

The Cocktail will start at 6:30 pm, followed by the Gala Dinner & Ball at 7:30 pm. The INC Congress “Gala Dinner and Ball” serves as the perfect way to wrap up an exceptional event, and it is thoroughly enjoyed at each congress.

Sponsored by