Origin Organic Farms, a Delta, BC-based greenhouse operation, began all-organic production in 2006 and launched its OriginO brand the next year.
David Oppenheimer & Associates GP (known as Oppy) BB #:116424 in Vancouver, BC partners with Origin Organic, with about 25 acres of tomatoes-on-the-vine, long English cucumbers, and bell peppers, according to Kevin Batt, Oppy’s category director of greenhouse.
He notes that Oppy’s total organic portfolio includes a wide range of fruits and vegetables with apples, avocados, berries, cherries, cucumbers, seedless grapes, kiwifruit, pears, peppers, tomatoes, and even ginger root.
Origin Organic’s approach involves combining traditional farming with modern scientific innovation, Batt explains, focusing on sustainability through a proprietary soil recipe using compost as fertilizer.
“This soil is recycled along with water for irrigation, ensuring maximum sustainability,” he adds.
OriginO provides product in the summer months; the rest of the year, Oppy looks to growing partners in Mexico, Batt shares. “This approach allows Oppy to maintain a year-round supply to provide a diverse range of greenhouse products to its customers.”
But demand is calling for higher volumes of organics, says Batt. “We’re actively looking into a 2025 expansion in Canada, as demand is strong for both organics as well as the OriginO brand.”
While organics started to gain traction about two decades ago, Origin Organic Farms played a “pioneering role” by becoming the first in Canada to grow organics on a commercial scale, Batt notes.
“This initiative not only marked a commitment to sustainability and organic farming practices, but also positioned OriginO as a leader in the industry. The demand for its products reaches as far as Florida.”
Los Angeles, CA-based grower-shipper and packer 4Earth Farms, LLC BB #:148899 has been growing organic vegetables in Mexico for 15 years, with 65 percent of its total acreage dedicated to organics, according to David Hewitt, vice president of sales.
The company’s core commodities are organic Brussels sprouts, sugar snap peas, green beans, zucchini, mini sweet peppers, Shishito peppers, hard squash, green bell peppers, yellow squash, and cucumbers, Hewitt notes.
And, he says, this lineup could continue to grow. “We’re always looking to expand our acreage to meet the increasing demand for organic vegetables and diversify growing regions,” he notes.
Fulfilling Demand
Choice is a key to success in the organics category, according to marketers, and that’s certainly the case for Kaci Komstadius, vice president of marketing with Sage Fruit Company, LLC, BB #:163180 Yakima, WA.
“We offer a wide array of organic commodities including apples, pears, and cherries,” she says.
“All of our mainstream apple varieties including Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp have organic availability, as well as Cosmic Crisp and SugarBee.”
It’s also important to keep the products coming, no matter what time of year it is, Komstadius adds. “We’re continuously evaluating the latest technology and innovation that will allow for year-round availability of these items.
“Our pear lineup of Bosc, Bartlett, Green D’Anjou, and Red D’Anjou all have organic availability, and from June to July we have organic availability of dark sweet cherries.”
She adds that options in organic apples are particularly important to grocery retailers.
“Our most sought-out organic item by retailers is organic Honeycrisp—a high-end consumer favorite which has an excellent ring at the register.
But organic Gala and Fuji don’t fall too far behind,” she says, adding the last two varieties are “more price-friendly” organic options for shoppers.
Further, she says, “This season, there are excellent promotional opportunities on all organic apple varieties.”
This is an excerpt from the Organic Spotlight story from the May/June 2024 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine.
