KeHE Scores With 2025 Summer Show

One of KeHE’s largest events of the year, the Summer Show is designed for retailers and brands looking to grow their offerings and engage new customers.

KeHE Distributors LLC, the largest distributor of natural and organic, specialty and fresh products in North America, has declared its recent 2025 Summer Show a success. The event, which took place Feb. 4-5 in Phoenix and virtually on the KeHE CONNECT platform Jan. 29-Feb. 12, featured popular trends, effective merchandising solutions and show-only deals. Drawing 5,000 in-person attendees, the show provided plenty of networking opportunities and new insights into the industry trends expected to hold sway this summer.

One of KeHE’s largest events of the year, the Summer Show is designed for retailers and brands looking to grow their offerings and engage new customers. Attendees are able to connect with industry innovators, while brands have a platform to showcase and sell their products directly to retail buyers.

Seasonal trends identified by KeHE are:

Backyard Gourmet: elevated grilling with fresh, high-quality proteins and other ingredients
Staying in the Loop: new product discovery
Cool & Hydrated Summer: refreshing functional beverages
Taste the World at Home: experimentation with global flavors
Summer Lifestyle: high-protein snacks and supplements that can be consumed on the go

“KeHE is dedicated to driving success for its partners by providing a curated assortment of exclusive deals, innovation and on-trend products that will be in high demand this summer,” said Ari Goldsmith, VP of marketing and digital media at Naperville, Ill.-based KeHE. “The [2025 KeHE] Summer Show was a great commercial success, allowing KeHE to go beyond creating unique experiences for its partners, which encouraged meaningful connections and brand immersion to a digitally enabled, in-person event. It was an opportunity for attendees to experience firsthand the items that will excite and engage their customers. We recognize and appreciate the deep partnerships we have cultivated.”

Among the show’s features were the following:

An executive update from KeHE President and CEO Deb Conklin, who spoke of innovations occurring across the business, including LEAN enhancements, improved customer order quality, developments in the company’s organization and new technology rollouts based on requests from its partners to serve them better.
The selection of 16 brands as KeHE On Trend award winners after one-on-one pitch meetings with KeHE’s category management team, highlighting products with a commitment to innovation, purpose and high-quality ingredients.
A partnership between the Salvation Army Southwest Division and the KeHE Cares Foundation enabling attendees to pack 500-plus heat relief kits for homeless shelters, food banks, disaster relief and rehabilitation centers to bring respite to those in need during the summer. KeHE also donated seven carts of items that will be used to support the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehab programs.
The donation of more than 56,000 pounds of food from the Summer Show to Phoenix-based St. Mary’s Food Bank, providing a sustainable solution to reducing waste while supporting local communities.

KeHE will host its annual invitation-only Holiday Show in Chicago June 11-12 and on KeHE CONNECT June 4-18 to supply partners with trending products for their shelves for the upcoming festive season.

KeHE distributes natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products to more than 31,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty products retailers throughout North America. With more than 6,800 employee-owners, the company is a Certified B Corporation.