International Pear Congress, FreshCon Market, and a rich schedule of side events complement this year’s exhibition
The major gathering for producers, retail groups, and domestic and international distributors of fresh fruit and vegetables, Freskon, will be held with an enhanced international presence from April 10 to 12 at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition & Congress Center. Taking place alongside Freskon is the LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, the dedicated exhibition event for the logistics and transport sector. This year’s Freskon spans 12,500 sq.m. and welcomes 275 exhibitors from 22 countries, underlining the event’s increasingly international character.
Exhibitors will hold more than 2,000 B2B meetings with approximately 136 hosted buyers from 38 countries, in addition to two organized buyer missions from North Macedonia and Bulgaria. For the ninth year, TIF-HELEXPO, in collaboration with FROUTONEA magazine, is organizing FreshCon Market 2025 within Freskon. The event will bring together professionals from the fresh fruit and vegetable sector with buyers from 17 supermarket chains from Greece, the Balkans, and Southeastern Europe.
Side Events
Freskon will feature a series of significant and engaging events focused on innovative crops and commercial opportunities in the agri-food sector. All side events will take place in Pavilion 13 (Special Events Area) and include:
The flagship International Congress, dedicated to the production and commercial development of pears, featuring expert speakers from Greece and abroad.
A workshop on figs, focusing on the sustainable growth of fig cultivation and trade in Greece and internationally.
A forum on persimmons as an alternative crop, with keynote speakers including top executives and Mr. Pascual Prats, head of the European Persimmon Federation.
A specialized workshop on yellow kiwifruit, addressing its cultivation in Greece and global markets, with participation from Professor Athanasios Molassiotis.
A seminar titled: “Fruit & Vegetables: Exports, Prospects, Programs, Planting Material”, covering export trends, prospects for peaches and apples, and innovation in the sector.
A seminar on “Thracian Zeolite: A Green Innovation”, exploring the benefits of Thracian zeolite in water conservation and soil improvement.
The Central Market of Thessaloniki, in the framework of the LIFE-IP CEI-Greece project and Freskon, will host an event on “Food Waste Prevention & Social Contribution: Establishing a Food Redistribution Structure in Central Markets.”
The LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, organized by O.MIND CREATIVES, attracts businesses and professionals from the freight transport, export trade, and logistics sectors from Greece, the Balkans, and international markets. It is accompanied by the LOGI.C (Logistics Conferences) event.
The official opening ceremony of Freskon will take place on Thursday, April 10, at 18:00, officiated by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Kostas Tsiaras.
Today’s Press Conference
During today’s press conference, TIF-HELEXPO CEO Dr. Kyriakos Pozrikidis highlighted that Freskon offers fruit and vegetable businesses access to new markets, customer retention, internationalization, and networking opportunities. He also emphasized the growing international impact of the event, noting that Freskon Greece recently participated in the Fruit Attraction – São Paulo international exhibition, held from March 25–27 in Brazil.
Mr. Theodoros Dimitriadis, President and CEO of O.MIND CREATIVES, remarked that LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO addresses a real market need, aiming to establish a permanent logistics and transport exhibition in Northern Greece. He pointed out the concentration of export businesses in the region, along with the growing Port of Thessaloniki, four regional ports, and railway links to the Balkans, which could transform the area into a strategic logistics and trade hub.
Mrs. Mary Efthymiatou, head of LOGI.C, presented the content of the Logistics Conference that accompanies the logistics exhibition.
Mr. Panagiotis Orfanos, publisher of FROUTONEA magazine, stated that Freskon is now well-established in the industry’s mind, recording growing visitor numbers. He also pointed out that this year’s edition comes at a time when recent weather conditions have severely affected agricultural production, while the side events highlight fruit varieties with strong domestic and export potential.
Mrs. Tonia Nikolaidou, Head of the Freskon Organizing Team, noted that seven Greek Regions will participate this year, alongside a strong presence from Poland and leading Italian packaging companies. She emphasized that over 1,500 international buyers have been hosted in Thessaloniki through Freskon over the years, offering major collaboration opportunities for Greek businesses.
Mr. Alexis Tsaxirlis, General Director of TIF-HELEXPO, remarked that the national exhibition body is capable of “entering new territory through strategic collaborations,” which lead to growth and expansion into new areas.
Entrance to Freskon is strictly for professionals and trade visitors.
Opening hours for both Freskon and LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO:
Thursday, April 10 & Friday, April 11: 10:00 – 19:00
Saturday, April 12: 10:00 – 17:00
