MCALLEN, TX - Barriers were meant to be broken. In the case of one rising industry event, a breaking of those barriers have blossomed into opportunities. I speak of In Bloom, the Texas International Produce Association’s (TIPA) part in gathering and supporting women of the produce industry.

“We’re not huge, and we’re young—both of these work in our favor. It gives us the ability to change course and try things,” April Flowers, Marketing Director at Lone Star Citrus Growers, tells me as she reflects on the strides the organization has gained.

April, along with Michelle “Shelly” Cortez, Vice President of Sales at Babia and In Bloom Chair, realized the dream of In Bloom in December of 2019 with its first event before COVID-19 necessitated a pause that could have been the organization’s undoing.

“We had a lot to prove, and when we were able to reinstate our networking event in April of 2021, it was under COVID regulations with limited attendance capabilities,” Shelly points out.

Instead, these women and the community they represent have persevered into a multi-event support system that spotlights the Southwest sector’s females in a fresh.

“Behind the scenes, there has been a lot of us going up to bat and proving ourselves for the success and importance of In Bloom, and industry members singing its praises, sharing the value they were taking away from it, has opened up so many doors to the possibilities of expanding outreach and potential for more women in the industry,” Shelly says.

The next step in that growth took place this past February with recognition of mavens of the region via In Bloom’s first-ever award luncheon.

“Though this is the first, we are finally executing an idea we had at the very first meeting discussing what we hoped In Bloom could be,” April shares with a smile. “It’s exciting to close this loop, and we are so proud of the responses we received to select and award these women.”

The women chosen by the In Bloom’s award committee, Shelly and April share, truly personify these awards:

• Legacy Award: Pamela Mitchell
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Mary Velasquez
• Rising Star Award: Kristen Davis

Each has deep ties to TIPA and the region it represents, with even Rising Star recipient Kristen Davis having generations of family involved with the association.

“We want to continue to bring focus to the women of our region. Typically, if you don’t travel to a show, you don’t have access to others in our industry. We are trying to open up that access for our region and the women truly impacting business here, so we can continue to grow together. We want to shine a light on those right here in our backyard, not just for the show-facing roles but the accounting and back-end ones too. So many women impact all kinds of aspects of the business,” Shelly observes. “That has been important to April and me from the beginning. We want to recognize the women not being seen who do amazing things for produce, not just in Texas but Mexico as well.”

This can be seen not just in awardees and attendees but also in speakers and guests that In Bloom hosts. Ensuring any session or host is intimately familiar with the challenges and successes women in produce experience while opening up more access to the area is a key component of In Bloom's overall mission. These deep roots, I think, are how April and Shelly have built a circuit in which connections are made beyond business transactions and into support.

With the next event slated as a highlight on the Viva Fresh schedule taking place on April 11, I am excited to see how In Bloom continues to blossom for women in our industry, helping to uplift fresh produce as a whole.