Harvesting Wisdom: Jeff Fairchild’s Summer Produce Playbook
With 40 years in produce sourcing and merchandising, and a key influencer of the retail farm-to-table movement in the Northwest, OGC’s Jeff Fairchild is a true expert. His trusted connections with farmers and deep understanding of the supply chain, shopper behavior and effective display, pricing and promotional strategies are invaluable.
Harvesting Wisdom: Unlock the Magic of Melons
Organic melons kick off their season in April/May from Mexico with a limited selection. As harvest moves north to California, two primary regions contribute: the desert offers fruit in June/July, while the Central Valley starts in early June and extends through the fall. The Northwest season begins in mid-July, peaks in early August, and concludes as the weather cools in early September. OGC wraps up the season with a limited offering from Mexico in October and November.
Bring On the Bold Flavor of Asian Greens
Download point of purchase shelf signage so shoppers have also the info they need about these great greens.
Juicy Rewards: Cultivate Loyalty with Stone Fruit
The stone fruit category presents exciting opportunities for your department to stand out by delivering amazing quality and flavor. Sweet success is as simple as selecting the best-eating fruit, understanding seasonality, merchandising appropriately and leveraging the expertise of OGC and our organic grower partners.
Harvesting Wisdom: Margin, Waste and the Art of Produce
Managing a profitable produce department is no easy feat. It’s not just displaying beautiful fruits and veggies and watching them sell. Produce work moves fast. Things change by the hour, and the pace means mistakes large and small happen. The key to success? Carefully managing margin so sales make up for inevitable waste—but that’s a whole lot easier said than done.
Start Spring Off Right
Hit the refresh button with new merchandising, revived promo strategies and a lineup of specialty items that show off the full glory and bounty of the season. Go ahead, have a spring fling with fresh finds from Northwest growers and beyond.
Build a Produce Pot o’ Gold
Eaters celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with some important produce items, and the gold and rainbows of the holiday create fun merchandising opportunities.
Harvesting Wisdom: Planning for December’s Festive Feasts
December is a whirlwind of food traditions, gatherings and parties where produce often steals the show. For produce managers, the goal is clear: keep the department fresh, festive and full of flavor for every celebration.
Harvesting Wisdom: Squeeze the Best Out of Citrus Season
Every season, produce managers and shoppers look forward to the arrival of quintessential fruits. Summer has stone fruits and melons, and eaters know fall has arrived by the steady stream of apples and pears.
Bring the Grove to Your Aisles
Fresh from California’s northernmost citrus soils, Johansen Ranch fruit brings a little sunshine to every shelf. These organic Satsuma and Clementine mandarins, Blood oranges and Meyer lemons are grown with the same patience and purpose that’s guided the ranch for generations.
Winter Squash Toolkit
It just wouldn’t be fall or winter without mountains of winter squash. From soups, hearty salads and side dishes to pies, muffins and pancakes (not to mention lattes), winter squash is a seasonal staple once the weather turns cold and the holidays approach. With their long shelf life and versatility in the kitchen, OGC has a squash for every eater, menu and produce department.
Tell Shoppers to Give Quince a Chance
Quince’s bright yellow makes a great color break next to apples, pears and persimmons, and an enticing recipe card or simple shelf signage are all you need to convince quince novices to take a few home. Don’t let shoppers miss out on this super special fall fruit and download OGC’s shelf sign to add to your display.
Harvesting Wisdom: Get Thanksgiving Ready
Thanksgiving week can be the busiest of the year, so it’s important to plan and prepare. Shoppers are looking for more than just good prices – they want top-quality produce and a great selection.
Radicchio & Chicory Toolkit
Organic radicchio and chicory are gaining popularity with eaters. OGC proudly collaborates with Northwest growers to bring eaters the widest selection of organic chicories and radicchios on this side of the Atlantic, with over a dozen unique varieties available. This fridge-hardy category boasts long shelf life and is available in an array of sizes, shapes, colors and flavors. This crop is a great alternative to lettuce during cooler months with a bounty of options for eaters to enjoy.
Merchandising Magic at Organic Produce Summit
Jeff Fairchild, a buyer for the Organically Grown Company, emphasizes the importance of telling a story. "You don't remember the price, you remember the eating experience," he says. Front of store displays must be the best quality and be something the consumer is going to love and remember, Fairchild says. Clean and simple is the name of the game.
Harvesting Wisdom: Make the Most of Apple Season
As fall begins, and the leaves change and the air turns crisp, take pride in offering the Northwest’s best organic apples.
Mushroom Toolkit
Year after year, mushrooms are having a moment. More than just a cool factor, shoppers have growing awareness of functional body and brain health benefits, helping them work towards their overall health and wellness goals.
Harvesting Wisdom: Make Pears Shine This Fall
Pears are one of those quintessentially Northwest treasures that make our region so special. Did you know the Northwest produces 85% of the nation's pears?
Harvesting Wisdom: Setting the Stage for Fall
As the days grow shorter and the summer heat gives way to crisp fall air, your produce department is ready for its seasonal transformation.
Pear Toolkit
The Northwest pear season has arrived with plenty of showstoppers, from crisp and juicy Asian pears to well-loved varieties like Bartlett and with lesser-known varieties like Forelle soon to come.