Program
The INC Congress provides a unique environment for participants to learn, network, and share knowledge and experiences.
New this year, the Nutfruit Plaza is the place to be for high-octane networking! Exhibitor booths are intermingled with an open-plan meeting area, plus all-day coffee is close at hand.
The INC Congress provided a unique environment for participants to learn, network and share knowledge and experiences.
New this year the Nutfruit Plaza will the place to be for high-octane networking! Exhibitor booths will be intermingled with an open-plan meeting area, plus all-day coffee close at hand.
MAY 6, 2024
- May 6, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
MAY 7, 2024
- May 7, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
- May 7, 2024 | 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- May 25, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM
- Royal Automobile Club, Woodcote Park, Epsom, Surrey
- Guidelines
- Fill Out the Golf Game Form
- Fill Out the Tennis Match Form
GOLF & TENNIS DAY
Did you join to show off your skills to your fellow peers at the 2024 INC Golf & Tennis Day? It took place on May 7, just before the congress.
Will you join to show off your skills to your fellow peers at the 2024 INC Golf & Tennis Day? It will take place on May 7, just before the congress.
MAY 8, 2024
- May 8, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
- May 8, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza
EXHIBITION AREA
- May 8, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza & Ocean Foyer
MEETING AREA
Sponsored by
- May 8, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Sponsored by Almond Board of California
- May 8, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
- West Ballroom B
CONGRESS OPENING
Excellence in Gastronomy Award Delivery
UNLOCKING CONSUMER POTENTIAL TO DRIVE DEMAND
by Goretti Guasch, INC Executive Director
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Marc Low, Director, Innovation & Emerging Technology, KPMG Canada
This Changes Everything: AI, the New Paradigm and Where to From Here: AI is no longer an abstract futuristic concept, it’s our present reality. This presentation explores the transformative impact of AI on business and society, exploring why technological disruption can be difficult to see and what comes next once a new paradigm takes hold. We’ll explore real-life applications and challenges and share practical advice to help leaders thrive in the paradigm shift that is our AI era.
- May 8, 2024 | 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
COFFEE BREAK
All-Day Coffee Sponsored by Almond Board of California
All-Day Coffee Sponsored by
ALMONDS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Laura Gerhard, Vice President, Global Ingredients Division, Blue Diamond Growers, USA
- Craig Duerr, Vice President, Global Sales/Marketing, Campos Brothers, USA
- Brenton Woolston, Managing Director, Almondco, Australia
- Joan Fortuny, Managing Director, De Prado Almonds, Spain
- Mitch Yu, Purchasing Manager, Overseas Division, Three Squirrels, China
PISTACHIOS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Mike Hohmann, Executive VP and CFO, Wonderful Almonds & Pistachios, USA
- Mia Cohen, Chief Operating Officer, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, USA
- Behrooz Agah, Member of the Board of Directors, Iran Pistachios Association, Iran
- Yasir Aydin, Manager, Aydin Kuruyemis, Türkiye
- Carlos Suarez, CEO, Nuevos Cultivos Agrarios, Spain / President, European Pistachio Council (EPC)
- Gunjan V. Jain, Managing Director, VKC Nuts, India
- May 8, 2024 | 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
NUTRITION RESEARCH SEMINAR
Excellence in Research Award Delivery
Chaired by Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chairman of the INC World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination.
Guest Speakers:
- Dr. John L. Sievenpiper, Professor, Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
- Dr. Kristina Petersen, Associate Professor, Professor in Charge, Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Penn State University, USA
- May 8, 2024 | 01:30 PM - 3:00 PM
- West Ballroom A
WORKING BUFFET LUNCH
Sponsored by
- May 23, 2023 | 12:15 PM - 01:15 PM
- The Great Room
- Live Q&A
GLOBAL CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES by INC Stakeholders
Chaired by Antonio Pont, INC Honorary President and Executive Committee Member
- Belinda Neville, Program Manager, Nuts for Life, Australia
- Jose Eduardo Camargo, President, Brazilian Association of Nuts and Dried Fruits, Brazil
- Christina Chen, China National Food Industry Association (CNSA), China
- Esther Ritson-Elliott, Executive Committee Member, The Dried Fruit Alliance, UK
- Maureen Ternus, Executive Director, NREF, USA
- Richard Matoian, President, American Pistachio Growers, USA
- May 8, 2024 | 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
PROSPER CASHEW PANEL SESSION
West African Cashew Dynamics, Redefined by USDA Prosper Cashew
Moderator: Krishanu Chakravarty (Chief of Party – Prosper Cashew)
Panelists:
- Vigneshwar Rajkumar, Dorado – Royal Nut
- Daniel Phipps, Red River Foods Inc
- Marc Rosenblatt, The Richard Franco Agency, Inc
Sponsored by
UNITEC PANEL SESSION
Innovative Sorting Lines and Grading Solutions for Nuts & Dried Fruits
Presenter: Raffaele Benedetti, Member of the Board of Directors at Unitec Spa.
Sponsored by
- May 8, 2024 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- The Atrium at the Pan Pacific Hotel
WELCOME COCKTAIL
Sponsored by
MAY 9, 2024
- May 9, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
ACCOMPANYING PERSON TOURS
Take an adventure through iconic Vancouver locations: Capilano Suspension Bridge & Granville Island.
- May 9, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
- May 9, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza
EXHIBITION AREA
- May 9, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza & Ocean Foyer
MEETING AREA
Sponsored by
- May 9, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Sponsored by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
- May 9, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
WALNUTS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by John Aguiar, International Sales Director, Mariani Nut Company, USA
- Alice Zhou, Import and Export Manager, Fen Yang Reell Food Co, China
- Robert Verloop, Executive Director/CEO, California Walnut Board/Commission, USA
- Rafael Bianchini, Executive Director, Frunut, Chile
- Tatiana Calcii, Export Department Manager, Maestro Nut, Moldova
- May 9, 2024 | 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Prof. Janice Gross Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management and the Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Canada.
- A World Disordered: All around us, we see a world cracking, polarizing, and ripped apart by violent conflict. How did we get here and how can we contain the damage? And how does Canada – and Canadians — find a voice in a world that is reorganizing into unfamiliar patterns?
- May 9, 2024 | 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
COFFEE BREAK
All-Day Coffee Sponsored by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
All-Day Coffee Sponsored by
- May 9, 2024 | 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
CASHEWS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Ganesh Rajaraman, Global Business Head – Cashew and Macadamia, ofi, USA
- Hari Nair, President, Western India Cashews, India
- Kees Blokland, Director, Global Trading & Agency, Netherlands
- Vu Thai Son, General Director, Long Son Joint Stock Company, Vietnam
- Ralph Beranek, Managing Director, Seeberger, Germany
- May 9, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
RAISINS, PRUNES AND CRANBERRIES ROUND TABLE
Chaired by George Sousa Jr., President, Mariani Packing, USA
- Sems Özgür, Operations Director, Özgür Foods, Türkiye
- Jeffrey McLemore, Vice President Global Brand Marketing, Sunsweet Growers, USA
- Benjamin Herreros, Sales Director, Pacific Nuts & Dried Fruits, Chile
- Sylvain Dufour, Vice President of Business Development, Fruit d’Or, Canada
- May 9, 2024 | 12:45 PM - 1.30 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
BRAZIL NUTS AND PINE NUTS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Richard Rosenblatt, Vice President, The Richard Franco Agency, USA
- Victoria Mutran, International Sales Director, Mutran Exportadora, Brazil
- Edward Danon, Director, Voicevale, UK
- Liyuan Chen, Managing Director, Sunshine (Tianjin) Produce Ltd, China
- Alexey Alpet, Founder and Owner, Siberian Cedar Eco-Factory, Russia
WALNUTS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by John Aguiar, International Sales Director, Mariani Nut Company, USA
- Jinkui Zhou, Deputy General Manager, Fenyang Reell Food, China
- Gary Ford, Executive Chairman/CEO, Diamond Foods, USA
- David Valenzuela, Managing Director, La Invernada, Chile
- Serkan Görgülü, General Manager, Lidya Walnuts, Romania/Türkiye
- Gunjan V. Jain, Managing Director, VKC Nuts, India
- May 9, 2024 | 1:30 PM - 03:00 PM
- West Ballroom A
WORKING BUFFET LUNCH
Sponsored by
- May 9, 2024 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- West Ballroom B
SPONSORED PANEL SESSIONS
Sponsored by
- May 9, 2024 | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- BC Place Stadium
CASUAL BUFFET DINNER
Sponsored by
MAY 10, 2024
- May 10, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
ACCOMPANYING PERSON TOURS
Discover Vancouver’s vibrant culture, art, and nature at Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery & Stanley Park.
- May 10, 2024 | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
- May 10, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza
EXHIBITION AREA
- May 10, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- Nutfruit Plaza & Ocean Foyer
MEETING AREA
Sponsored by
- May 10, 2024 | 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Sponsored by Touchstone Pistachio Co.
HAZELNUTS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Hasan Sabir, General Manager, Sabirlar Findik, Türkiye
- Mallikarjuna Kumaraswamy, Senior Vice President, Country Head Türkiye and Head of Hazelnuts Business, ofi, Türkiye
- Riccardo Calcagni, CEO, Besana Group, Italy
- Sean Denfeld, Managing Director, Denfeld Nut, Laurel Foods, USA
- Jorge Mohr, Director, Nefuen Trading, Chile
- May 10, 2024 | 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
SUSTAINABILITY SEMINAR
2024 Innovation Award and Excellence in Sustainability Award Delivery
Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Sustainability, Scientific and Government Affairs Committee
Guest Speakers:
- Julie Adams, Vice President, Global Technical & Regulatory Affairs, Almond Board of California, USA
- Miriam Gautier, Managing Director, Bösch Boden Spies, Germany
Dr. Miriam Villen King, Chief Scientist, Stahmann Webster, Australia
In this seminar, the chairs of the INC working groups on sustainability, scientific and government affairs will discuss some key challenges facing the industry, ranging from climate change to geopolitical tensions, as well as new horizons and what we can do to ensure a prosperous future for the sector.
- May 10, 2024 | 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
- Nutfruit Plaza
COFFEE BREAK
All-Day Coffee Sponsored by
- May 10, 2024 | 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
PEANUTS AND PECANS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Richard Owen, President & CEO, American Peanut Council, USA
- Chen Ying, Director of Cereals and Oils, China Chamber of Commerce (CFNA), China
- Yann Quéméneur, Food Procurement Director, Intersnack, France
- Sally Arn, Director, Carter Pecan, USA
- Guillermo Humphrey, Director and CEO, Humphrey Pecan, Mexico
- Albert Bouwmeester, Vice Chairman, South African Pecan Nut Producers Association (SAPPA), South Africa
- May 10, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
- West Ballroom B
- Live Q&A
DATES, APRICOTS AND FIGS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Guillaume Pagy, General Manager, Pagysa & Nova Fruits International, Türkiye
- Ahmed Boujbel, General Manager, Boudjebel, Tunisia
- Osman Göksan, Sales Executive, Osman Akça Agricultural Products, Türkiye
- Jens Borchert, Managing Director, PALM Nuts & More, Germany
- Verne Powell, President, Great Lakes International Trading, USA
- Declan Dart, Managing Director, Trumps, Australia
MACADAMIAS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Graeme Rust, CEO, Kenya Nut Company, Kenya
- Jill Whyte, Director, Green and Gold Macadamias, South Africa
- Ben Adams, CEO, Marquis Macadamias, Australia
- Jose Eduardo Camargo, Director, QueenNut Macadamia, Brazil
- Thomas Nottebohm, Manager, Industria Guatemalteca de Macadamia, Guatemala
- Cheng Lu, Deputy General Manager, CHK Trading, China, Hong Kong
- May 24, 2023 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
- The Great Room
- Live Q&A
DATES, APRICOTS AND FIGS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Guillaume Pagy, General Manager, Pagysa & Nova Fruits International, Türkiye
- Ahmed Boujbel, General Manager, Boudjebel, Tunisia
- Ogan Ceryan, Board Member and Plant Manager, Anatolia AS, Türkiye
- Miray Usta, Member of the Board, Usta Food, Türkiye
- James Weaire, Managing Director, Chelmer Foods, UK
Adam Green, President, The Hemisphere Group, USA
PEANUTS AND PECANS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Lalo Medina, President, Pecan Grove Farms, USA
- Chen Ying, Director of Cereals and Oils, China Chamber of Commerce, China
- Richard Owen, President and CEO, American Peanut Council, USA
- Andreas Snyman, Executive Manager, GWK, South Africa
- Andrew Waddell, Business Development Manager, Stahmann Webster, Australia
CASHEWS ROUND TABLE
Chaired by Ümit Ergin, Vice-President, PLM Cashews, ofi, USA
- Pankaj Sampat, Director, Samsons Traders, India
- Vu Thai Son, General Director, Long Son, Vietnam
- David Rosenblatt, President, Richard Franco Agency, USA
- Wim Schipper, Director Procurement, Intersnack Cashew Company, Netherlands
- May 10, 2024 | 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
- West Ballroom A
WORKING BUFFET LUNCH
Sponsored by
- May 10, 2024 | 6:30 PM - 11:00 PM
- Vancouver Convention Centre Ballroom
COCKTAIL, GALA DINNER & BALL
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. Reservations are now open!
Sponsored by
MAY 25, 2023
- May 25, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM
- Royal Automobile Club, Woodcote Park, Epsom, Surrey
- May 25, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM
- Royal Automobile Club, Woodcote Park, Epsom, Surrey
- Guidelines
GOLF & TENNIS DAY
Did you join to show off your skills to your fellow peers at the 2023 INC Golf & Tennis Day? Took place just after the congress on Thursday, May 25th at Royal Automobile Club, Woodcote Park, Epsom, Surrey, and we had the opportunity to see some of the beautiful English countryside and spend time with fellow industry members. The club boasts two exceptional downland golf courses and also counts on six outdoor, floodlit courts: three artificial clay and three porous rubber. The event included brunch on arrival to get everybody warmed up for their game and ended with a round of celebratory drinks.
