Washington Fruit Growers provides buyers with a year-round supply of organic apples and pears through its hemisphere program. The company expects slightly increased organic fruit volume, said Dan Davis, vice president of business development for the Yakima, Wash.-based company.
“As of now, our volumes are slightly increased over last year, but not significantly,” Davis said. “ We’ll have similar volume to take our organic apples through from harvest to harvest.”
High input prices, particularly for labor, characterize organic operations, Davis said. The organic market is still evolving, and marketers are learning the effect of inflation on consumer choices.
Even so, Davis said there is strong optimism for the future of organic produce.
“Our growers drive all the optimism,” Davis said. “Their excitement for the upcoming crop that’s been grown and the potential for it keep our spirits high and make all that we do to get the crop to market well worth it.”
