North Bay Produce returns annual dividend to grower owners

Traverse City, Mich.-based North Bay Produce has returned $8.35 million in dividends to its member growers this year.

Since 1993, North Bay Produce has invested back to the grower owners of the cooperative in annual dividends, according to a news release. Counting this year, dividends to its member growers since 1993 total just over $70 million, the release said.

North Bay is an international cooperative with members located throughout the world and primarily in North, Central and South America, the release said. 

“North Bay’s cooperative model is somewhat unique in the produce industry, and we believe in reinvesting in our growers to help them grow and advance in all different aspects of their farms,” Nick Osmulski, president of North Bay Produce, said in the release. “We know that our customers demand commitments to quality, assurance of supply, food safety, sustainability, and social accountability and North Bay’s alignment with our growers assures that.”

North Bay has also seen steady gains in the company year after year, resulting in greater investments in the business, according to the release.

Recently highlighted programs included varietal development, sustainability, a commitment for greater technology on the farms and in the company itself, and the continued search for new growers to help support the growth, the release said.

“At North Bay, we regularly speak about the membership and the employees as being a family,” Osmulski said. “We mean that, as it is essential that we work with growers that share our values and have outstanding farming practices. Partnering with new growers is not just about finding growers that can handle our demands but identifying growers that do things the right way and that are good people.”

For the upcoming fiscal year, North Bay is predicting another record performance, the release said. New varieties of blueberries and blackberries, Sekoya and Erandy respectively, will be offered with substantial increases in supply, and more raspberries and strawberries will be available as well, according to the release. 

The company’s apple and vegetable programs will also see gains this year with additional acres offering more and better varieties, according to the release.

“The future looks bright but that means that there is a lot of work to do," Osmulski said. "The good news is we are confident that we have the right group of growers and team to do the job."