The 2024 Fruit Logistica in Berlin wrapped last week, bringing to a close its biggest edition yet. With 63,470 attendees from 140 countries, it eclipsed the other major event happening in the city at the time (Berlin Fashion Week) by a significant margin.

The record-breaking number of attendees represented the entire fresh produce value chain, from agricultural equipment, technology and packaging to chemical companies, farmers and seed producers. They came to walk the vastness of Messe Berlin’s 27 halls which covered over 128,000 sqm and to do business with some of the 2,610 exhibitors.

WayBeyond chose Fruit Logistica as the event to launch its refreshed brand identity and tighter strategic focus. A shift which aims to empower berry growers and seed producers with innovative technology and insights for enhanced crop management. To reinforce this commitment, WayBeyond showed up in force with its largest team to date attending the event, and the construction of a 24sqm booth – twice the size of previous years.

Head of Global Sales, Lotte Bayly comments: “Fruit Logistica again provided us with an excellent opportunity to meet customers face-to-face, connect with people in the industry, and learn more about the latest trends in the fresh produce market. We were thrilled to receive an enthusiastic response from growers and seed producers eager to learn more about our crop management solutions.”

WayBeyond’s strategic shift to focus on the needs of growers of blueberries and other berry crops seemed well received by Fruit Logistica attendees. At the WayBeyond booth, Thursday was the busiest day and bookings were essential. 

Showcasing recent work with companies including African Blue, Azura, Costa, Naturesweet and Chaparral drove demand for meetings.

"Many berry growers had read our case study with African Blue and sought us out to talk about the application of our digital agronomy solution in their farms," says Customer Success Director, Daniel Than.

After three extremely busy days of demos, meetings, and networking, the WayBeyond team took some time to relax, recharge their batteries, and see a little more of Berlin and Europe before returning to their respective countries of Mexico, UK and New Zealand.

Notable trends

Three notable trends were evident among the visitors and exhibitors.

The fresh produce industry continues to seek solutions to improve operations

Companies of all sizes are looking for solutions to increase efficiency and reduce costs. This has led to a surge in the adoption of new technologies and approaches, with bigger companies moving towards robotics and automation to address labour costs and shortages.

Global events and climate change are impacting the industry 

The fresh produce industry faces a number of challenges, including global events and climate change. For example, the war between Hamas and Israel, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and attacks in the Red Sea are causing delays in shipping produce to Europe. Climate change is also causing disruption and produce shortfalls.

More growers are moving from open field to protecting cropping

Climate change, new viruses, and the increasing frequency of unexpected weather events like tornadoes, forest fires and flooding continue to put pressure on growers. Which is why some growers are transitioning to protected cropping in net houses, tunnels, and greenhouses. Despite these challenges, the demand for fruit and vegetables continues to rise as people need to eat more of them to stay healthy.