Meet OGC Mission Fund Recipient: Berg’s Berries & Organic Produce

Located in Alvadore, OR, Berg’s Berries has farmed organically since the 1950s, long before organic certification existed or most people even knew what it meant. Carl Berg, who took over the farm from his father, inherited the mindset of respect for the planet and a focus on nourishing foods. The farm has been growing strawberries since the beginning and, when he took over, Carl expanded into blueberries, quince and some other, smaller crops for farmers markets.

Carl, reminiscing about when he first started working with OGC, mentioned that “We were one of the first growers through the doors when OGC opened. I remember bringing in flats of strawberries to a tiny loading dock. At that point, growers were running around to stores and almost tripping over each other. OGC had the idea to do the marketing and distribution so farmers could spend their time farming. I believed in that then and I still do now.”

In 2022, Berg’s Berries received a generous grant from OGC’s Mission Fund giving program. Carl and his family will use the grant to upgrade their facilities to create a space that will hold a new walk-in cooler and freezer. “We’re not very well-positioned to handle crops at the moment. With the help of the grant, we’ll be able to create an area to process fruit and get it in coolers before bringing it into the facility.”

OGC is proud of our long-time partnership with Berg’s Berries, and the feeling is mutual. Carl noted that, “Ultimately, what we’re doing fits with what OGC is doing – we both want to make sure that farmland is protected.”

Berg’s Berries is just one of the many organizations who received financial support through OGC’s Mission Fund in 2022. Learn more about our recent grant recipients at https://www.organicgrown.com/blog/2022missionfundgiving.