b'F O O D G R O U PHighline Mushrooms Takes Home TopHighline Honors at Largest Canadian Produce EventMushroomsaward winning booth,the Highline team,social media,S umitomo Corporation Group Company Highline Mushrooms and new product showcase took top honors at this years Canadian Produce MarketingAssociation (CPMA) Convention and Tradeshow, where the company won the Best New Product Award. Highline spotlightedtheir new Simple Sides line, featuring mushrooms that includedelicious and complimentary fresh ingredient sauce to bring outthe mushrooms savoury flavour. The sides are currently availablein two delicious flavours, with the Sesame & Ginger as theattendees favorite and Herb & Garlic a very close second, according to Stephanie Myles, Highline Mushrooms marketing manager.Attending CPMA is an excellent opportunity to connect and network with the top leading companies in Canada, explained Myles. It also leads the industry in packaging solutions or inno-vations, you can always find the latest trends at this show. From the sales perspective, it is a chance to meet with your retailer or media rep, and the event helps bring them to the booth and makes it easier to have quick meetings. The tradeshow is also where if you have any innovations, you can share them easily with possible customers and present your new ideas. As the largest produce event in the country, CPMA rotates annually between three of Canadas most prominent cities: Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, with this years convention was hosted in Montreal. Founded in 1961 by Dr. Murray ONeil, Highline Mushrooms began as a small family farm in Leamington, Ontario. With a fo-cus on family values, excellence, innovation and work ethic, the company grew to become the worlds largest grower of organic mushrooms. Acquired by SC Group Company Fyffes and then reorganized under Summit Fresh Produce in 2021, Highline is the largest mushroom grower in Canada; having a presence atHighline was awarded CPMAs Best New Product prize for this this show helps the company to reinforce their position in theline, rightfully attributed to how much the Highline team put marketplace & show their latest innovations.into perfecting this Simple Sides line over the past two years. Highlines business environment has been facing many challeng- Having it recognized in the Canadian Market as the Best es, commended Kazuma Suzuki, Senior Vice President & Gen- New Product was just a fantastic way to highlight all the eral Manager, Food & Lifestyle Groupand interim CEO andhard work thats gone into it, said Myles. Our product at President for Highline. Nevertheless, Highline has continuedthe show was being judged alongside some of the best new to develop new products, always putting the needs of custom- innovative products out there. We are thankful that we were ers and markets first. With this award, we hope that Highlinesable to impress the judges with our packaging design, concept, significant presence in the North American mushroom industryand presentation. All of that combined is what delivered us and its corporate culture and attitude of always sincerely address- this exciting win.ing the needs of customers and society will match the visionHighline Mushrooms prides itself on a longstanding tradition and strategy that SCOA is aiming for. of quality, with specifically Dutch-style farming techniques, It also allows us the ability to talk to those who may have heardand gaining a greater market share since 2016 through new of Highline, but dont know us very well, said Myles. It keeps usdistribution deals with big grocery outlets such as Kroger, relevant and at the forefront of the minds of our retailers. Costco, Target and Whole Foods.8 visions Spring 2022'