Cal-Organic Farms continues to build on its strength in the organic potato and onion categories with larger volumes available year-round, says Bob Borda, vice president for the marketer.
“We also continue to expand our production of organic carrots and vegetables in regions outside of our California base of operations like the Southeast and Pacific Northwest,” he said. “These strategic production expansions help ensure surety of supply and put our products closer to customers located in the region.”
Overall organic supply for Cal-Organic may be helped by the abundant rain in the West, he said.
“The copious amount of rainfall and record-setting snowpack generated by multiple atmospheric rivers that swept across California have increased water allocations for several growing areas to be cultivated in 2023, scheduled to [be] fallowed due to drought conditions last year,” Borda said. “Organic supply is expected to be larger than the past drought-stricken years.”
Legacy
Cal-Organic Farms started with a quarter-acre of lettuce nearly 40 years ago, and the marketer has grown to produce more than 65 types of seasonal and year-round vegetables, Borda said.
“We’ve been able to increase our organic acreage year after year,” Borda said. “We’re driven by a responsibility to care for the land and for our customers, and we’re proud to promote family values and integrity in all that we do.”
Borda said retailers can best build organic sales by consistently merchandising a set of organic fruits and vegetables appropriate for their shoppers.
“Cal-Organic Farms employs data-driven analysis to assess a retailer’s shopper profile then tailor merchandising plans to build a new organic program or grow an existing program,” he said.
Borda believes the demand for organic produce will continue to expand as Generation Y and Generation Z establish themselves in the economy with growing families.
“These generations have unprecedented purchasing power focused on consuming sustainably produced products like organic fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Potential new consumers of organic produce need to see premium quality fruits and vegetables that are grown organically merchandised in stores, he said.
“Shoppers engage all of their senses to evaluate fruit and vegetables for purchase at the shelf,” he said. “Organic produce must satisfy shoppers’ expectations for superior quality as well as their sensibilities for sustainability and a healthy lifestyle. Cal-Organic Farms’ message to consumers is the care we take today [to] nurture our organic agricultural land ensures the health of the soil to produce the highest-quality vegetables for decades to come.”
