NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 21, 2017) — The 2017 KeHE Summer Selling Show welcomed more than 3,700 industry professionals to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Feb. 7-8 – a nearly 35% increase from the year prior. Retailers, vendors and brokers filed in for the latest natural & organic, specialty and fresh products for the summer season.

“This increased attendance is a testament to the value of KeHE’s Summer Selling Show in the industry,” said Brandon Barnholt, President and CEO, KeHE. “Our growing community of retailers and suppliers know they can find the hottest deals, best new and established brands, and exciting innovations at our Summer Selling Show.”

New for 2017, the OnTrend Pavilion in the New Products Showcase included more than 100 new products and educational presentations; the New Orleans Pavilion featured local flavors and live jazz; and the Fresh Pavilion, a centerpiece of the show, proved to be a hot destination with wide-ranging offerings for bulk/foodservice and retail deli, bakery, cheese and perimeter departments.

Retailers also cast their votes for the “Best of” items, out of more than 30 new featured products. The 2017 winners are:

In addition to the recognition awarded to these brands, KeHE was honored as Distributor of the Year by Michael’s of Brooklyn and Gaea USA.

KeHE and its supplier partners donated more than 37,000 pounds of food products to Second Harvest Food Bank following the show, providing hundreds of struggling households with needed grocery items.

About KeHE

KeHE Distributors, LLC (KeHE) provides Natural & Organic, Specialty and Fresh products to natural food stores, chain grocery stores, independent grocery stores and other specialty product retailers throughout North America. KeHE is the trusted B Corp Certified and employee-owned company with over 4,000 CareholdersTM in the U.S. and Canada. For more about KeHE, visit KeHE.com.