Organic fruit sales continue at brisk pace

Berries, apples, bananas and citrus were the top organic fruits ranked by sales during 2021, according to the State of Organic Produce 2021 report from the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners. Bananas, apples, berries and citrus ranked highest by volume.

It seems that organic fruit sales are continuing their brisk upward trajectory as summer approaches.

Organic apples will be around during the late spring for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers Inc., said Brianna Shales, marketing director. But the main organic items from June forward will be cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines.

“Our peach and nectarine program is all-organic and runs from mid-July through late September,” she said. Barring a weather event, Shales expects plenty of promotional opportunities for organics this summer.

Some organic apples could face shortfalls this summer, though, because Washington’s 2021-2022 crop was less than normal.

“We see it the most on organic fuji, gala, and Pink Lady,” Shales said.

Related: Organic avocados remain consumer favorites

About 30% of Stemilt’s product is organically grown.

Organic melons continue to be a highlight for customers of Access Organics, Kalispell, Mont., said Bonnie Poux, owner and founder.

“We are among the first suppliers of [U.S.]-grown melons in the country in the spring season, shipping from the Imperial Valley of California,” she said.

When the early spring desert season winds down, the company moves up to the Central Valley and works with growers to provide organic melons into the fall.

Access Organics will be in its fourth season marketing the Navajo Pride organic mini and full-size seedless watermelons, which ship in August and September from Farmington, N. M., Poux said.

The firm’s organic acreage should be similar to past years.

“We have found a healthy balance of production, targeting the customers who want premium quality, attentive service, consistent good arrivals and helpful follow-through,” she said.

Gala, fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, granny apples and d’anjou pears are popular organic fruit items from Chelan Fresh Marketing, Chelan, Wash., said Kevin Stennes, organic sales manager.

SugarBee and Rockit apples are experiencing especially rapid movement, he said.

Volume should be up slightly this season at Chelan Fresh. About 6% to 8% of the company’s volume is organically grown.

Stennes said consumers tend to have their own reasons for buying organic products.

“Whether reality or perception, there are a lot of philosophical, health, environmental and other reasons that consumers choose organics,” he said. “Interestingly, a lot of consumers choose organic apples because they most often are not waxed.”

Porterville, Calif.-based Homegrown Organic Farms was kicking off its California blueberry program in late March, said Scott Mabs, chief executive officer.

“The crop looks good, and it looks healthy,” he said.

Stone fruit is “only a stone’s throw away,” he said, with some harvesting starting in early May.

The company also will have table grapes and some valencia oranges and lemons.

Although a freeze and some hail hit parts of California’s San Joaquin Valley in February, affecting mostly apricots, Mabs was optimistic that Homegrown would get a full crop to market this season.

Wenatchee-based CMI Orchards LLC, which markets the Daisy Girl Organics brand, offers a year-round supply of all its core organic apple varieties, such as gala, fuji, reds and granny smith, said Loren Foss, organic manager.

The company’s branded organic apples such as Kanzi, Kiku, Jazz, Envy and Ambrosia Gold seem to be gaining acceptance, as well.

“These varieties have found their niche and have proven themselves as a great way to increase organic apple category sales,” he said.

Organic apple volume makes up approximately 25% of CMI’s product line, he said, nearly double what it was 10 years ago. 

Fruit quality remains good despite record-breaking heat last summer, Foss said.

“We are now into April and are seeing some of the best organics we have ever produced,” he said. “Eating quality and condition remain fantastic across the board.”

Most grower-shippers think the organic category will continue to expand, at least in the near future.

“I think the demand continues to be strong for organics, and that there is still room for growth,” said Stemilt’s Shale. “However, it must be with the right varieties and flavor experience that will drive consumer purchase and repeat purchase.”

Inflation could “possibly” have an impact on organic sales, Chelan Fresh Marketing’s Stennes said.

“At some point, there is a percentage of the consumers that will not pay the extra money for organics,” he said. “With inflation being [so] prevalent, everything is getting very expensive, [and] at some point, there is a line that consumers will not cross in terms of money they will spend for organics.”

Customers are very health-conscious and “eating-experience” driven, said Foss of CMI. “Therefore, [they] will continue to spend their money accordingly.”