Marketers tag organic hotspots in U.S.

While the U.S. West Coast has long been dominant for organic demand, marketers surveyed by The Packer offered a diversity of answers about regions with above-trend growth in organic demand, and opinions about areas that seem to lag.

Here are selected responses to the question, “In your experience, what region of the country has the fastest-growing organic demand? What part of the country has the slowest growing demand?”

“Fastest: West coast. Slowest: East Coast.”
– Joel Hewitt, sales manager for Wenatchee, Wash.-based CMI Orchards

“The West region has been the stronghold for organics for a long time and remains dominant, but when we look at growth percentage from a dollar and volume standpoint, the South region of the U.S. is showing double-digit growth in organics. The Midwest is down the most year-over-year on volume, but that is likely due to crop differences and the effect of not having a big surge in March this year versus last due to the pandemic.”
– Brianna Shales, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.

“In our experience, the East Coast has seen a significant increase in organic demand. The Midwest, on the other hand, has seen a slower increase in demand.”
– Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing for Sage Fruit, Yakima, Wash.

“Demand is growing fastest in non-traditional avocado states.”
– Peter Shore, director of business development and marketing for Calavo Growers,  Santa Paula, Calif.

“My guess would be that the Northeast is the fastest growing region for organics simply based upon the number of people living in that region. The more people, the better the chance of more people being interested in organic fruits and vegetables.
– Jim Grabowski, director of marketing for Well-Pict Berries, Watsonville, Calif.

“West Coast and the Northeast have grown by leaps and bounds.  We see great growth in Texas and Colorado as well. The Southeast has lagged behind the rest of the country’s growth.”
– Dan Davis, director of business development for Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.

“Fastest in the Midwest and South.”
– Chris Ford, business development and marketing manager for Viva Tierra Organic, Mount Vernon, Wash.

“Top year-over-year volume growth: Florida (all markets have positive year-over-year growth, but Tampa Bay/St. Pete is top overall growth market for all markets), San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Phoenix, Albuquerque-Tucson, Salt Lake City-Boise.  Bottom year-over-year volume growth (markets with decrease in year-over-year): New York; Raleigh, N.C.; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.”
– Kevin Stennes, organic sales manager for Chelan Fresh, Chelan, Wash.

Correction: A previous version had misidentified the company affiliated with Peter Shore.