2025 GCCA Latin American Cold Chain Congress

Technical Tour | 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Visit the Emergent Cold Los Olivos warehouse and a local food processing facility. A unique opportunity to explore innovation in real-world cold chain operations.

Registration Opens | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Opening General Session | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Welcome Remarks
GCCA Updates
Chilealimentos Updates

Cold Chain Café | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
The Cold Chain Café is a roundtable discussion where attendees will engage in valuable dialogue with their peers. Attendees will participate in up to 3 quick 20-minute discussions and choose from over 10 different topics.

How will this work? Each participant will receive a list of 10 different questions, topics, and/or issues. Each topic will correspond to a numbered table in the room. Participants join the table/topic of their choice and spend the next 20 minutes discussing it with their peers. The goal is 20 minutes for each group to share tools, and ideas, and have a stimulating conversation about a particular topic. This will happen two more times. By the end of the entire session, each participant will have spent 20 minutes on 3 different topics/issues/questions.

Why are we doing this? The Cold Chain Café allows conference attendees to share and discuss topics relevant to them. Everyone is sure to learn something new and continue the discussion throughout the conference.

Who will facilitate the discussions? The facilitator will be a member of your peer group and their role will be to facilitate the discussions. As the moderator of the panel, their role will be to keep the conversation flowing. They will initiate the conversation, possibly lead it, guide it, and encourage it, but they will not talk the whole time (this is not a presentation).

Topics will include:

• Sustainability
• AI in logistics
• Energy efficiency
• Automation
• Cybersecurity
• Food safety
• Human talent
• Key Challenges and Emerging Opportunities in the Transportation of Perishable Products
• Macroeconomic trends

Welcome Reception | 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Sponsored by Wagner
Join us for drinks and appetizers as we kick off the Latin American Congress. Connect with old friends and meet new ones at this fun reception.

Focus Session

Thursday, August 28

Registration Open | 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Latin American Advisory Council Breakfast | 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Invitation only

Morning Coffee & Networking | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Join your industry peers for a morning coffee and brainstorming before the start of Day 2 of the Congress, while touring the exhibition and learning about the latest products and services for the industry.

Smart Energy Efficiency | 9:30 AM – 10:10 AM
Speaker: Moises Ventocilla, Director Engineering Latam - Emergent Cold LATAM
A story from one of Latin America's largest companies.

Sustainability in Action: Its Impacts Across the Supply Chain | 10:10 AM – 10:50 AM
Speaker: Johanna Guzman Cerda, Senior National Coordinator of Clean Production Agreements Sustainability and Climate Change Agency
How Sustainability Is Shaping Operations, Logistics, and Long-Term Strategy

Sponsored Tech Trends Talk | 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Coffee Break | 11:05 AM – 11:35 AM

A break in the program to share with colleagues while visiting the trade show.

Bioceanic Corridor: The New Route for Perishables | 11:45 AM – 12:20 PM
Speaker: Juan Monge, President of AGETICH / General Manager of Mondel Logistics
The Bioceanic Corridor represents a strategic new route that could transform regional trade, facilitating the flow of perishable goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This session will examine its logistics impact, benefits for food exporters/importers, and challenges for integration into current cold chain operations.

Sponsored Tech Trends Talk | 12:20 PM – 12:35 PM

Networking Lunch | 12:35 PM – 2:30 PM
Sponsored by Refrigiwear

Enjoy lunch and share with colleagues in a relaxed moment.

Latin America Amid Global Trade Disruptions: Logistics Opportunities in Emerging Markets | 2:40 PM – 3:20 PM
Speaker TBD
Amid global trade instability, Latin America faces both challenges and opportunities. This session explores new routes and markets for perishable foods, highlighting strategies to diversify destinations, adapt logistics, and meet the international standards demanded by new trade partners. A realistic and proactive look at the region's foreign trade.

Panel: Synchronizing the Cold Chain – Challenges and Collaboration Across the Supply Chain | 3:20 PM – 4:15 PM
This panel brings together key players from the cold chain: a food processor, a refrigerated logistics operator, a transporter (sea or land), and a retailer.
Each panelist will discuss the main challenges in their link of the chain—from production to final delivery—and how stronger collaboration can improve efficiency, traceability, and compliance.

Key questions:
– What’s needed for each party to focus on their core business?
– How do we build an efficient and resilient chain based on mutual trust?
– What operational, technological, or communication barriers must be overcome to achieve integrated logistics?
A valuable space to hear diverse perspectives and find common ground to strengthen the cold chain’s performance.
Panelists:

• Food Processor (Chilealimentos)
• Logistics Operator (GCCA)
• Transportation (GCCA)
• Retailer (Chilealimentos)

Sponsored Tech Trends Talk | 4:15 PM – 4:30 PM

Loyalty in the Cold Chain: Strategies for Strengthening Business Relationships | 4:30 PM – 5:10 PM
Speaker: Raúl Hernández, Executive President - Precisa Frozen
In a highly competitive industry like perishables, customer loyalty ensures stability and boosts sustainable growth. This session will present practical strategies to build stronger relationships, deliver consistent value, and stand out in a demanding market. It will also discuss real-life cases and tools for building trust throughout the cold chain.

Closing Remarks | 5:10 PM – 5:30 PM

Closing Cocktail Reception | 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM