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Preparing for Thanksgiving? OGC is Here to Help!
With one of the biggest food holidays just around the corner, the pressure is on to reset merchandising plans and menus, filling both with eaters’ favorite seasonal items. OGC is here to answer a few perennial questions and to lend guidance to help price-conscious shoppers fill their baskets with ingredients for their feasts.
Don’t miss the downloadable Cheesy Brussels Sprout Casserole recipe card!
OGC’s VP of Sales & Sourcing Shares How to Capture Sales During the Final Weeks of Summer
The days are getting shorter, and there’s a fresh crispness to the mornings. Seasonal change is upon us once again!
Mike Boyle, OGC’s VP of Sales and Sourcing, shares a solid strategy to ensure grower partners are supported, and summer sales remain high until it’s time to switch solidly to fall sets.
Move Melons with Tasting Demos!
This time of year has shoppers looking for summer treats to quench their thirst and sweeten up snack time. With melon season on in the Northwest, it’s an ideal moment to introduce eaters to new-to-them varieties or encourage shoppers to pick up a familiar favorite!
Setting up a successful demo in your store is a proven way to drive category sales and can be easily executed with a few considerations and details in mind.
Eaters Are Loving Gem Avocado!
The first cases of organic Gem avocado made their way up to the Pacific Northwest this week, and feedback from avocado enthusiasts across the region is that Gem is a hit! Large, nutty and delicious, Gem is a California-grown treasure.
Calçot: Not Quite a Leek, Nor a Green Onion. Definitely Delicious.
Catalans know this alluring allium as a harbinger of spring and good times shared over plates of grilled food. Now, your shoppers can now enjoy this special scallion variety that is described as similar to a leek, larger than a green onion and milder in flavor than both.
Spring Outlook From OGC’s Expert Team of Buyers
OGC’s dedicated buying team shares commodity updates for what’s happening now, and what’s to come this season. Use their notes to anticipate challenges, lean into promotable items and plan your sets over the next few months!
The Heart of Citrus Season Starts Now!
OGC’s Citrus Buyer, Don Mayfield, and Sales Manager Brendon O’Shea talk about the fruit that is eating well now and what’s to come, merchandising tips, and why this year, in particular, you’ll want to grab favorite varieties of sublime citrus while they last!
Celebrating Rebecca Willows
In December of 1985, Rebecca Willows accepted a position with OGC becoming the company’s fifth employee and marking the start to what would become a multi-decade-long career.
OGC was still finding its legs and times were scrappy. “It seemed we all did a little of everything then and it was really fun,” she remembers. “We’d meet the trucks and break down the orders. We had one cooler with boxes stacked to the ceiling. We took sales orders from OGC’s Eugene customers, built the orders, and then I did the ‘town’ deliveries in an old bread truck.”
OGC’S CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS FUND SUPPORTS OVER 50 NONPROFITS IN 2021
Being stewards of our community, the planet, and organic farming is rooted in OGC’s history and part of our purpose.
New and Exciting: Cured Winter Squash!
For eaters that can’t get enough organic winter squash, this season has been a delicious exploration of familiar favorites like Delicata and Kabocha and some new-to-them varieties like Robin’s Koginut.
With the addition of a new lineup of cured winter squash varieties, the season only stands to get more interesting!
Representative Peter DeFazio: An Organic Champion
Last week, Representative Peter DeFazio announced that he is retiring from the US House of Representatives at the end of his current term. He has tirelessly represented Oregon’s 4th District for 35 years as a feisty advocate for a wide range of topics from affordable health care, wilderness protection, and transportation safety. But for those of us who work in the organic trade, or who are consumers of organic foods, one action stands out above all—Peter DeFazio was willing to introduce, and fight for, the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in the House of Representative, when no one else would consider doing so.
Field Report: Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Overwintering crops have been planted and are growing steadily in fields across the Northwest. OGC’s Director of Purchasing Mike Neubeck paid a visit to our friends at Farias Farm in Washington to check on the progress of their organic Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
New This Year & Coming Soon! Cured Winter Squash Varieties
OGC’s friends at Boldly Grown Farm have been experimenting with long-storage organic winter squash varieties, presenting additional opportunities for eating delicious Northwest-grown crops further into the winter.
Radicchio 101: Watch OGC’s Lucas Crawford Break It Down
Oft-misunderstood radicchio has recently been welcomed with open arms by members of the culinary community and select organic growers looking to expand into this niche winter crop. While passionate, this group of radicchio-loyalists represents a small fraction of potential fans, and creating new radicchio customers through varietal education is a large opportunity!
Celebrating Lucas Crawford
Twenty-five years is an incredible milestone to reach at any company, especially one like OGC that has grown alongside a rapidly changing sector such as the organic produce trade.
Lucas Crawford, OGC Senior Account Representative, shares that among the many things he’s enjoyed during his two-and-a-half decades of service is the rate and scale of change. That has been exciting to participate in. Starting as a warehouser and driver, as the ninth employee at the Portland facility, Lucas has been a part of the company’s evolution and played a role in shaping the business that OGC has become.
Coworker Spotlight: Meet Max Benoit, OGC Account Representative
OGC has many coworkers that have dedicated their time and energy for 10, 20 even 25+ years! This longevity is part of what makes OGC a great place to work. One such coworker is Max Benoit. An impressive 17 years into his career at OGC, Max recounts his early days as a warehouser, how his career reflects his values and shares a message to front-line workers. Learn more about Max and how he helps make OGC a great place to be!
OGC Advocates for Alternatives to Polyethylene Mulch
Organic farmers only have so many tools for fighting weeds. Polyethylene mulch is one of those, but it’s not great for the environment. While we are known as an organic produce marketer and distributor, OGC is also an active advocate on organic supply chain issues and our work, in many ways starts, from the ground up.
NW Purple Sprouting Broccoli: Available Now, Volume Soon!
Late-season frost slowed the arrival of early PSB varieties resulting in less volume than we traditionally see this time of year. With plenty of sun in the forecast, we anticipate strong availability in the coming weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited! OGC’s Lucas Crawford shares his favorite way to prepare PSB!
Honoring Tom Lively’s 32 Years with OGC
OGC’s beloved Tom Lively leaves the day-to-day to embark on a “retirement-ish” path starting April 1st. Since the start of his career in 1988, Tom has been influential in building OGC’s business and its culture. After 32 years of hard work, Tom moves into his retirement with a transition to “less work and more fun.”
Kristi Yoder, OGC’s Senior Sales Manager, honors Tom’s impact on our company, our community and the organic trade.
Spotlight on OGC Coworkers
In the pursuit of “bringing organic produce to the people,” our talented and thoughtful team plays integral roles at every stage in the process. From ensuring coworkers benefit from a safe workplace to assuring the product heading out to customers is accurate, of the highest quality and arriving with on time delivery, these are just some of the highlights of the work OGC coworkers do. Meet a few of the coworkers who make OGC a fantastic place to be!