Wholesum adds organic seed production to its portfolio

Wholesum, a fair trade certified grower and shipper of organic vegetables, says it is becoming a more fully integrated farm by building in-house capabilities to produce organic seeds.

“As organic growers, we envision a future where organic seeds and the resources to produce them are more widely available. We support investments in organic plant breeding and seed research and feel that moving the needle forward in this area will help organic production thrive,” Theojary Crisantes Jr., Wholesum chief operations officer, said in a news release.

The project began in 2022 and will continue to be a growing capacity of Wholesum’s operation, according to the release.

Organic seed production is a fundamental part of the integrity of organics and the organic supply chain, from the grower to the retailer, to the consumer, the release said. Wholesum says while organic seeds are specifically bred and better adapted for organic production systems — leading to a better organic product — the availability of organic seeds is limited.

“To keep up with the fast-growing organic sector and to do so sustainably, we need to be at the forefront of innovation, including in our capacity to deliver high-quality, healthy seeds,” Crisantes added.

Seed production is a highly meticulous task requiring specialized labor to complete a full seed production cycle; from sowing the initial “parent” seed to the extraction of the new seed. All is achieved under highly controlled conditions including environmental, structural and phytosanitary controls, according to the release.

“While currently at a small scale, devoting time, knowledge, resources and infrastructure to this task is one way that we contribute to a better future for organic farmers, the development of our workforce, and at a larger scale, to the organic movement,” Ricardo Crisantes, chief commercial officer for Wholesum, said in the release.

In its first efforts in 2022, Wholesum learned how to produce organic seeds for cucumbers and peppers and plans to expand both knowledge and production through 2023 and beyond.  

Wholesum is a third-generation family farming operation is based in Amado, Ariz., with family farms in the U.S. and Mexico.