Archer-Daniels-Midland lands in Los Angeles ahead of global food-tech summit

Archer-Daniels-Midland flew from El Pedernal Airport in Mexico to Los Angeles International Airport on June 1, touching down just before 8:30 p.m. local time after a 59-minute hop in the company’s Falcon 7X, tail N787AD. The point-to-point flight from a remote airstrip in Sonora to the West Coast’s busiest hub suggests a working trip rather than a leisurely return.

That same week, the Future Food-Tech summit kicks off in nearby Santa Monica, a three-day conference running through June 3, per the event’s published agenda. Archer-Daniels-Midland is listed as a sponsor of the gathering, which convenes food-ingredient buyers, alternative-protein startups, and agricultural traders — squarely the company’s lane. CEO Juan Luciano often uses the firm’s aircraft to shuttle between its Chicago headquarters and major industry gatherings, and Los Angeles is a recurring destination on the company’s flight logs.

The quick turnaround from a Mexican airstrip — likely a visit to a grain elevator or supplier site — followed by arrival into LAX the same evening fits a pattern: Archer-Daniels-Midland uses its fleet to compress multiple business stops into a single day, landing where the next morning’s meetings begin.