Viva Tierra looks to expand organic citrus and tropical volume

Among its many organic items, Viva Tierra Organic counts apples, pears, ginger and citrus among its year-round core items.

Chris Ford, business development and marketing manager for the Mount Vernon, Wash.-based sales and marketing agency, said the supplier is expanding its citrus program, in addition to tropicals like pitaya.

Viva Tierra Organic participates in the Fair Trade USA program, which Ford said is building an innovative model of responsible business, conscious consumerism, and shared value to eliminate poverty and enable sustainable development for farmers, workers, their families and communities around the world.

“We have worked hard for decades now to build the organic brand into a brand consumers can trust,” Ford said. “Fair Trade also has decades of brand recognition for the consumer with nonperishables like coffee, tea and sugar.  We should all be united in growing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables regardless of the brand.”

Ensuring growers get the premium they deserve while achieving a balance with the retailer and consumer is a challenge for the market, Ford said.

Inflation is part of that equation, he said.

“In some ways, it has introduced new consumers who may not be eating out as much versus cooking at home,” Ford said. “We have been and always will be 'Organic to the Core' so our message stays the same.”