KeHE Distributors to Host Holiday Show in Chicago

KeHE Distributors will host its annual Holiday Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, June 10-11, bringing together thousands of retailers and suppliers in the natural, specialty and fresh product categories to showcase holiday products and also hot year-round merchandise.

“Both our retail and supplier partners rely on our guidance regarding what products will perform well during the upcoming holiday season,” said Brandon Barnholt, president and CEO of KeHE Distributors. “We look forward to showcasing the industry’s hottest new products, and sharing our expert insights on successful holiday merchandising.”

New to the show this year is the KeHE New Items area, which will display more than 80 brands and hundreds of new products ideal for the fourth quarter. In addition to the exhibit floor, which will include approximately 700 vendor booths, other show highlights include:

• Innovation Center to display a variety of “gotta have” holiday products, including healthy snacks, global cuisine and “free-from” (i.e., allergen-free) products.
• Fresh Products Pavilion to showcase new and exciting products in perimeter store categories.
• Consumer shopping and eating insights from The Hartman Group. Laurie Demeritt, CEO of The Hartman Group, will share her team’s insights on who makes shopping decisions these days, how shoppers complete their missions, and how and when food is consumed by millennials versus baby boomers versus teens. 
• Global Olive Oil Experience – KeHE ups its game in olive oil by providing a hands-on, educational experience in the world of extra-virgin olive oil. Participants can taste samples from 11 premium oil brands, as well as hear from leading olive oil experts.
• Tom Mueller, author of The New York Times best-seller “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil,” will be on hand to meet with retailers to share his passion for only first-class, extra-virgin olive oil and discuss how they can make better choices on what oils they are offering their customers. According to Mueller, “The olive oil industry is currently locked in a race to the bottom in terms of quality. Selling high-quality olive oil to an increasingly discerning customer base can be a win-win situation, giving consumers better oil and merchants better margins.”

KeHE Distributors, based in Romeoville, Ill., provides natural and organic, specialty and gourmet, international and multicultural, and fresh products to more than 35,000 retail outlets throughout North America.