This summer we’ll be welcoming staff from co-op produce, deli, bakery, cheese, meat and seafood departments to NCG’s Focus on Fresh conference. Here’s a preview of the exciting details that promise to make this year’s event bigger and fresher than ever.
Expanded Conference Location
Focus on Fresh convenes at Saint Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul, Minn. — the same venue that hosts NCG’s Co+nvergence conference — to deliver an energizing event experience for co-op attendees and exhibitors. At RiverCentre, we are able to host more participants, offer expanded educational content tailored to the various fresh departments, and present our largest ever Focus on Fresh Vendor Showcase.
More Time to Learn, Share and Grow
Focus on Fresh is a professional development opportunity for co-op staff who want to grow their knowledge of fresh retailing and strengthen their leadership within their department and their co-op. Through department-specific breakout sessions, educational workshops and keynote speakers, attendees will learn how to create a vibrant shopping experience for co-op shoppers, strengthen food safety culture and practice, and take advantage of NCG resources that can increase efficiency.
Attendees will have plenty of time for strengthening connections with their peers from co-ops around the country. Focus on Fresh offers numerous activities to engage with other participants, including meetups for People of the Global Majority*, LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse cooperators, an optional tour of Co-op Partners Warehouse, and the Focus on Fresh Party on the closing night of the conference. Plus, the NCG conference app will make it easy to connect with other Focus on Fresh attendees.
Vendor Showcase
A highlight of Focus on Fresh is the Vendor Showcase, a tabletop buying show especially for co-ops. This year’s showcase will feature a hand-picked mix of more than 100 deli, bakery, cheese, produce, meat and seafood suppliers, distributors, packaging suppliers and service providers comprising longtime partners, up-and-coming brands and regional favorites. The Vendor Showcase is a buying show, with exhibitors offering exclusive show deals to co-ops.
Engaging with exhibitors at the Vendor Showcase is essential to the Focus on Fresh experience. Attendees will want to take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet with key suppliers, tell them about your co-op’s business, learn about their products and place orders on behalf of the co-op. These face-to-face conversations make the event more worthwhile for both co-ops and exhibitors!
Registration is Now Open
Focus on Fresh 2025 registration is open now through Wednesday, May 28. Co-op staff who receive NCG’s biweekly Fresh Update email newsletter will receive information via email about the conference and how to register.
We also send instructions about the registration process to each co-op’s designated representative and Co+op U administrator, so they can help decide the appropriate staff to attend the conference and ensure all get registered. Each NCG co-op may send three attendees to the Focus on Fresh (regardless of the number of store locations), paid for by NCG.
Visit the Focus on Fresh Resources page for more information and resources related to this conference.
*NCG has shifted to using the term “People of the Global Majority” instead of BIPOC, which is crucial as it acknowledges the worldwide scope of race and ethnicity. This term promotes accuracy of the current global population, inclusivity, solidarity and a global perspective on systemic racism and colonialism. It shifts the focus from differences to the power and resilience of minoritized communities, fostering more effective advocacy efforts on a global scale.
