Pro organics : distributing organic foods

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PRO ORGANICS: DISTRIBUTING

ORGANIC FOODS

by Steve Boyle

The media are full of references to organic foods these days as the general public becomes more accepting of the "radical" concept of organic agriculture. We know of course that there is nothing radical about organics. Rather, as California restauranteur Alice Waters states, "it’s a return to traditional values of the most fundamental kind". At the recent Produce Marketing Association convention in Atlanta, twenty trends in the produce industry for the year 2000 were identified. Prominent among them was the idea that organics would be the norm and that there will be widespread acceptance of organics in the mainstream marketplace. The weekly newspaper of the produce industry, The Packer, features one or more articles about organics in every issue. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and even People magazine have recently devoted space to organics. This exposure to organics in the collective consciousness of the public has heightened consumer awareness and demand for products that promote healthier living and a healthier environment.;

At Pro Organics we have carved out a niche for ourselves in the organic industry as a quality distributor of fresh and bulk organic foods. We feel that our role as a distributor, though small, is a vital one in the organic industry. It is our job to connect growers with crops to sell with the end user, the consumer, as economically and efficiently as possible.

As distributors we maintain relationships with a wide network of organic growers throughout North America, sourcing and loading product daily to satisfy the growing demand. When sourcing new growers or new products we use various subjective criteria. A grower’s reputation for producing a quality product in a professional package is probably the most important consideration. Good post-harvest treatment, careful handling, and a solid, well-identified box go a long way towards ensuring repeat business. Location is important because freight costs and the logistics of out-of-the-way pick-ups can make certain shipping points impractical. Size of operation is not necessarily a factor as we buy from farms as small as two acres to as large as two thousand acres. If we are picking up, we need at least one pallet of mixed products.

There is a need for more organic growers and organic commodities as demand continues to increase. However, it is very difficult to predict what crops a farmer might successfully market when the dynamics of the market change so swiftly and so frequently. Certification is a strong selling point and we would like to see the day when all product sold as organic is indeed certified organic. The issue of locally grown versus imported produce is a complex subject which invokes strong opinions in many people. It is too simplistic to say one is better than the other. The reality of the marketplace and consumer preferences dictate the need for imported produce during certain seasons. Our goal is to carry the highest quality, most diverse selection of organics possible, wherever those standards may lead us. Supporting regional producers is admirable and should be encouraged. However, we believe it is also valid to support and patronize sustainable organic producers wherever they may exist.

Founded in 1989 by my partner Debra Parker, Pro Organics has grown from a three person company with half a dozen accounts in the Vancouver area to a staff of twenty-five serving over three hundred and fifty accounts throughout Western Canada. In Vancouver we operate out of a centrally located 16,000 sq. ft. refrigerated facility and maintain two 5-ton 20-foot trucks for local deliveries. On November 11, we officially opened for business and shipped our first orders out of our newest distribution facility in Etobicoke, Ontario. The move into the Ontario marketplace was precipitated by the growing demand for organics in general and because we believe the services we provide including sourcing, warehousing, and transportation will fuel the growth of that market. We are currently subleasing a portion of a 30,000 sq. ft. facility from Ontario Natural Foods Coop and collaborating with this organization on local deliveries.

Pro Organics began distributing organic produce locally in B.C. because of a perceived demand for more variety, higher quality, better prices, and year-round availability. My partner Debbie saw an opportunity to meet those needs of the local market while doing something she believed in strongly for herself and her family.

In the early days of the company when we were sharing space with a conventional wholesaler on Malkin Avenue, much of our buying and selling was done on a pre-order basis. As the business grew we began to buy on speculation, and this is how we operate now. We try to carry virtually every produce item available that is organically grown. We purchase daily and bring in multiple trailer loads from California, Oregon and Washington twice weekly. 99% of all our tree fruit is Canadian grown, primarily in B.C. We also purchase substantial quantities of B.C. carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, kale, squash and leeks in season.

We are operating our Ontario facility according to the same standards we set for ourselves in B.C. Our goal is to offer the freshest, highest quality, most diverse selection of Ontario, B.C., and U.S. produced organic produce, creating a more dynamic organic marketplace for everyone concerned.

Despite the emergence of huge, conventional agribusiness conglomerates as active players in organic production, we feel strongly that an organic distributor like ourselves still serves an important role within the organic foods industry. While a national chain store might be satisfied with one-stop shopping for three or four organic commodities from a major conventional/organic shipper, the veteran organic shopper is going to demand more. It is our job to load from as many as thirty different farms in one week, to know the people who are providing the food, and to ensure that the fruit of their labor is professionally handled from field to table.

We relish our role as a "middleman" despite the negative connotations that it sometimes brings. It is pure pleasure to work every day with products as beautiful and vital as organic produce. As our industry grows we hope to continue serving the market by connecting organic farmers with outlets for their production and ultimately bringing organic produce to a wider consuming public.

Steve Boyle joined Pro Organics Marketing, Inc. as a partner in 1993. To contact Pro Organics in B.C., phone (604) 253-6549, fax (604) 253-0439; in Ontario, phone (416) 252-3386, fax (416) 252-3142.

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