Focus on health spurs organic fruits and vegetables retail growth

Sales of organic fruits and vegetables have been trending upward year over year, but that positive movement has become even more pronounced as consumers adopt more healthful eating habits, grower-shippers say.

“Sales have been through the roof,” said Brian Peixoto, sales manager for Watsonville, Calif.-based Lakeside Organic Gardens.

“Since COVID-19, demand has exceeded supply many, many times, which has increased markets,” he said.
That was especially true during the holidays.

“Even when people weren’t having large gatherings, they were still eating at home, which means they were still cooking a lot,” Peixoto said.

Organic fruit and vegetable sales increased 16% during the third quarter, which was significantly above the dollar growth for conventional produce, which was up 10.4%, according to the third-quarter Organic Produce Report from the Organic Produce Network.

The organic avocado business continues to be robust, said Bob Lucy, partner at Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc., Fallbrook, Calif.

“There are good supplies of all sizes of Mexico organic avocados available to us,” Lucy said.

“Business is good, and prices are lower than they have been in past years, which makes them attractive at retail.”
Quality is good, he said.

Industrywide, Lucy estimated that about 10% of hass avocados are organically grown.

Organic apple movement has been up for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Starr Ranch Growers, and Brent Shammo, national marketing representative, thinks that’s due at least in part to an increase in bagged sales.

Bulk sales probably are even with last year, but sales of bagged product are up by double digits, he said.

Bags are convenient, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, since consumers can grab a bag and go — without taking home product that others have touched.

All of the company’s apple varieties are available in various sizes of pouch and/or poly bags, Shammo said.

The company’s organic volume should be up slightly from last year, he said, and it would be up even more if not for some hot summer weather and then a freeze that affected some late-harvesting varieties.

The winter organic vegetable deal was getting underway in late December for Divine Flavor LLC, Nogales, Ariz., said

Michael DuPuis, quality assurance and public relations coordinator.

“January is usually the time of the year when our organic vegetables pick up,” he said.

The company’s biggest line is organic bell peppers and organic sweet mini peppers from Hortifresh, one of Mexico’s largest bell pepper growers, he said.

The pepper program should continue with good quality product until late May or early June.

Weather conditions so far this season should enable growers to meet their projections and adequately serve customers in the U.S. and Canada, DuPuis said.

Divine Flavor also produces Magnifico organic grape tomatoes, which DuPuis described as a high-quality, high-flavor snacking tomato.

The winter organic program at Castroville, Calif.-based Ocean Mist Farms is similar to its summer program — primarily artichokes, iceberg lettuce, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and romaine hearts — said Joe Angelo, director of sales.

The only change is the addition of organic asparagus coming out of Mexico’s Mexicali Valley.

“Our winter organic asparagus season will run January through March,” he said.

Unseasonably low temperatures in the company’s winter growing region in Coachella, Calif., slowed growth during the first few weeks of December, but production was back on track by the end of the month, he said. 

Awe Sum Organics, Santa Cruz, Calif., was doing well with its organic grape program out of Peru as winter got underway, said Joe Feldman, director of sales and marketing.

“We’re going strong with retailers in Canada and the U.S.,” he said.

The company also will have organic Chilean blueberries until mid-February, imported organic apples and pears from the Pacific Northwest in the spring and kiwifruit and organic citrus year-round.

Viva Tierra Organic Inc., Sedro-Woolley, Wash., will have a decent amount of good-quality organic Italian and Greek kiwifruit this winter, said Addie Pobst, organic integrity and logistics coordinator.

The company also has limited availability of Peruvian ginger as growers approach the end of the current season, she said.
This year’s ginger crop is “very nice with clean, large hands,” Pobst said. 

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