Forbes AgTech Summit Has Arrived - Driscoll's CEO Kevin Murphy Talks Hopes and Innovations
SALINAS, CA - The 2015 Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit in Salinas, California is finally here. With the event kicking off this evening, some of the produce industry’s most innovative companies are preparing to team up with the best of the Silicon Valley as they look to tackle the world’s most critical challenges in farming and food production.
Among those in attendance for the Salinas, CA event will be Driscoll’s Berries, a sponsor and partner of the 2015 Forbes event.
“Driscoll’s has always been an innovator and leader in transforming ideas to real business solutions,” Kevin Murphy, Driscoll’s CEO tells me. “As the fresh berry market leader, we want to continue that tradition and by supporting these types of events we help create an environment of innovation for our industry."
Kevin Murphy will be part of the panel entitled, Farm to Table: The Changing Path to the Consumer on Thursday, July 8th, and this will be a session not to be missed. Driscoll’s is well-positioned to profit from online grocery shopping and the company believes this channel offers a great opportunity to continue building its brand.
The full schedule for the summit includes:
Driscoll’s is currently leveraging relationships with FreshDirect, Ahold PeaPod, Safeway, FruitDay in China and other key retailers worldwide. For the company, providing great tasting berries is the most important thing to the consumer, and delivering as well as preserving the cold chain will be critical in these new business models.
As the speed of emerging technology continues to change the agricultural landscape, Driscoll’s sees these new tech opportunities being employed at all levels of the supply chain. In addition, with scaling global consumer demands, there will be an increased focus on the need for good land, good water, and efficiency of farming.
For Driscoll’s, technology is embedded throughout the supply chain from tracing the company’s berries from farm to table, all the way to data collection platforms to improve yields and manage resources like water. Equally important to Driscoll’s is improving the human labor factor–allowing farm workers to work more efficiently, effectively, and with improved tools.
For those attending the Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit in Salinas, California, we will see you there!
