Lisa Cork is a fresh produce marketing expert and industry thought leader. With 30+ years of experience in the fresh produce industry, Lisa specializes in strategy, branding, packaging design, and new product development, working with growers and marketing companies around the world.

She is a past winner of the PMA Australia-New Zealand Marketer of the Year Award, is a regular columnist in Vision Magazine, and is an Adjunct Professor in Produce Marketing at Cal Poly State University in California. Lisa was selected by Produce Business Magazine as one of 35 Industry Vanguards for her contribution to marketing and branding within the fresh produce industry

For more information, visit:
www.freshproducemarketing.com
www.linkedin.com/in/lisacork

New Products Launching Manager at Planasa

Alfonso López, an agronomic engineer with a master’s in food engineering, brings extensive international expertise to the table. From UC Davis in California, USA, to his current role as new product launch manager at Planasa, he has over a decade of experience driving innovation in berries, blending technical knowledge with international market strategies.

Prometeo Sánchez García, Ph. D. in Agricultural Sciences with a specialty in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition from the Russian University in the Russian Federation in 1992. He was a Senior Research Professor at the Postgraduate College since 1993. He was Secretary of the Mexican Society of Soil Science A.C. and President of the Mexican Society of Plant Nutrition, A.C. He trained more than 360 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students.

He is the author and co-author of 120 articles in national and international journals, in addition to six manuals and books. He has taught more than 500 courses and workshops on various topics in plant nutrition to technicians and producers in Mexico, Central and South America. He has participated as a speaker in more than 200 events. He is an advisor and consultant to national and international companies in soil, water, and nutrition management for horticultural crops.

Teun Leenders – EMEA Commercial Manager, Fall Creek®

With over 12 years of experience in the berry industry, Teun Leenders brings a deep and diverse understanding of the sector—spanning planning, operations, breeding and commercial strategy. His career has taken him across China, Central Asia and Europe, building strong international insight. Teun began his journey in organic hard fruit farming before moving into the soft fruit sector, where he found his passion for blueberries. He holds academic credentials in organic horticulture and international business management, combining technical knowledge with a global commercial perspective.

At Fall Creek®, Teun leads commercial activities across EMEA, working closely with growers and partners to build a world with better blueberries.

Dr. Yongjian Chang is an internationally recognized expert in plant tissue culture. He currently serves as the President of North American Plants, Inc., one of subsidiaries of Agromillora Group, a global leading nursery company.

With over 40 years of commercial and research experience in plant tissue culture, Dr. Chang has been working on large scale micropropagation of many recalcitrance plant species and leading the micropropagation industry on berries, fruit and nut tree rootstocks and many ornamental woody plant species.

He has been leading the company from producing tens of thousands to tens of millions of plants annually. He has made many breakthroughs in tissue culture of pistachios, apples, raspberries and many woody plant species.

Dr. Hicham Fatnassi is an internationally recognized expert in horticulture and a Research Engineer at INRAE in Avignon, France. He holds a Ph.D. in environmental physics applied to greenhouse climate modeling, awarded jointly by INRAE Avignon and the Faculty of Sciences of Agadir. With over 23 years of experience, he specializes in the design of sustainable crop production systems in controlled environments.

From 2021 to 2023, he served as Senior Horticulture Scientist at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai, contributing to the adaptation of protected cropping systems to arid climates. Author of major scientific publications, with an h-index of 30 and over 2,690 citations, he plays a key role in advancing innovative technologies for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.

Dr. Lisa Wasko DeVetter is a Professor of Horticulture at Washington State University specializing in small fruits. The focus of her research and outreach program is diverse but emphasizes maximizing productivity, fruit quality, and on-farm efficiencies while ensuring the health of adjacent natural resources.

Primary research areas include optimizing pollination services in small fruit crops, enhancing abiotic stress tolerance, improving end-of-life management of agricultural plastics used in small fruit crop production, machine harvesting technologies, and nutrient management.

Nikos Genalis, has been working in the Berry Industry now, for over 23 years. His career started off in Huelva, Spain with Alconeras, then moving over to Berry Gardens Ltd and finally with the take-over ,to Driscoll’s of Europe. Nikos headed up New Business Development for the EMENA region, that took him to all 4 corners of Africa, to look for new production opportunities with local partner growers , from South Africa to Morocco and from Senegal to Ethiopia. In Europe, from Portugal to Georgia and many other countries in between. The period working with all 4 berry types of Driscoll’s lasted 16 years. The highlight of this period, were the 3 years, as Operations Manager of Morocco, to transition the Alconera Maroc SARL business over to Driscoll’s du Maroc and also start the trials of Driscoll’s raspberries in Agadir, to pioneer what is now a massive raspberry business in Agadir.

Now, Nikos is Production Director of OZblu, for the EMENA region. This new role started 6 years ago. OZblu is one of the leading blueberry genetics breeding programmes in the World, from Western Australia. The objective, is to develop production with Local Partners, in the Northern Hemisphere, in order to compliment, the Southern Hemisphere production OZblu already has, mainly in South Africa. This way, United Exports can offer 52 supply to their retail clients. The objective is to have supply from November to July, through the use of different OZblu genetics and latitudes across Morocco, Southern Europe and Middle East. OZblu Magica is the most well-known variety in the market, but OZblu have a very wide range of Zero and Low chill genetics, to adapt to each area and produce in the window needed. OZblu and United Exports is a Vertically Integrated company, owning the Breeding Programme and Nursery, to ensure the best Genetics and Plants are supplied to the Growers and United Exports is the exclusive licensee to sell all the OZblu fruit.

Please reach out to Nikos about partnership opportunities:

Email: nikos@unitedexports.com.au

Tel: +34 687734201

Web site : OZblu

Marcel de Jong is an advisor and pioneer in integrating natural strategies, with over 30 years of experience in creating resilient soils and promoting plant health for sustainable yields in fruit and vegetable production.

Raised on a family farm and after completing 12 years of education at Dutch agricultural schools, Marcel has been deeply involved in ecologically responsible cultivation of fruits and vegetables for decades.

He regularly contributes to professional publications and delivers lectures both nationally and internationally on topics such as: soil biodiversity, balances in soils, relationships between minerals for plant health and optimal produce. His approach is grounded in experience and analysis, combining practical applications with strong support from data and testing methods.

Melt van Schoor is an experienced commercial leader with over two decades of experience in the fresh produce industry, in particular the berry category. Currently serving as Director Sales Europe at Driscoll’s, Melt plays a pivotal role in shaping commercial initiatives that drive growth, and customer engagement across the region.

With a strong commercial background and thorough understanding of the blueberry category, Melt has held various leadership roles that span both operational and strategic domains. His expertise lies in building high-performing teams, cross-functional collaboration, and translating market insights into actionable business strategies.

Prior to joining Driscoll’s, Melt held senior positions at leading companies in the agri-food sector, where he consistently delivered results through a combination of analytical rigor and people-centric leadership.

Melt is known for his integrity, and ability to navigate complex market dynamics with agility. He is passionate about berries, innovation in the food supply chain, and creating long-term value for growers, retailers, and consumers alike.

Linda Nielsen serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Horticultural Development Council, an organisation representing export horticulture producers in Zimbabwe across nine sub-sectors, in this instance, the Zimbabwe Berry Growers Association.

In her role, Linda leads in building strong partnerships within the horticulture industry and with key stakeholders to foster a prosperous business environment.

She is a passionate advocate for sustainability, and promotes inclusive growth in horticulture by empowering women in both the marketplace and communities.