Growers increase organic bell pepper production
Marketers say organic peppers are thriving, both indoors and in open fields.
That’s certainly the case for Leamington, Ontario-based Pure Hothouse Foods Inc., said Chris Veillon, chief marketing officer.
The company’s Pure Flavor brand has grown with its U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic sweet bell pepper program, which offers red, orange, yellow and green peppers in bulk and custom packs for retailers and foodservice customers, Veillon said.
“We are actively increasing acreage year over year to meet the demand across all types and varieties,” he said.
That growth is expected to continue well into the future, Veillon said.
“Consumers are looking for more options at retail, and those looking for an organic option can enjoy an extensive line of organically greenhouse-grown, USDA-certified vegetables from Pure Flavor,” he said.
The Vancouver, British Columbia-based Oppenheimer Group is reporting similar success.
“Our Canadian organic pepper program, produced by Origin Organic Farms and packed in the popular OriginO label, is starting out well and will entail greater volume than last season,” said Aaron Quon, Oppy’s executive greenhouse category director.
Origin Organic is one of British Columbia’s “early organic greenhouse pioneers” and has been 100% organic for more than a decade, Quon said.
There’s probably not a week that someone is not asking us about organics.
The calls for organic peppers are varied and frequent, said Ed Beckman, chief operating officer for La Grand, Calif.-based Live Oak Farms.
“There’s probably not a week that someone is not asking us about organics,” Beckman said. “There’s been significant growth in the domestic market and Canada in terms of moving product to organic.”
A way to enhance organic sales is to complement the category with product grown close to home, Beckman said.
“What we’re seeing is adding locally grown flavor to your organic category,” he said. “In the past, a lot of organic tended to be shipped from Holland, so the category has a different origin than a couple of years ago.”
Gilroy, Calif.-based Uesugi Farms has a significant organic program that includes peppers, sweet corn and green beans, said Pete Aiello, owner and general manager.
“As far as marketing is concerned, it’s a pretty big success,” he said. “The demand for organic products has gone up pretty significantly over the last few years.”
Uesugi Farms is working hard just to keep up with the demand, Aiello said, noting that his company offers organic green bells, red bells and mini sweets mainly for fresh-market customers, as well as organic hot peppers primarily for the processing side.
The market for organic bells is extremely hot.
“It’s going great,” he said. “All of those are exceptionally good markets right now.”
Markets reflect the demand, Aiello said.
“We’re selling bell peppers, bushel-and-a-ninth boxes, for over $40,” he said.
By contrast, the same size carton of conventional green bells was in the $13-17 range in early May, according to the USDA.
“The market for organic bells is extremely hot,” Aiello said.
