Dill, Organically Grown Company leader, wins organic industry award
“I’m fortunate to collaborate with farmers, businesses and mission-driven partners who challenge one another to strengthen organic agriculture and build a healthier, equitable and more resilient food system,” he added, in a news release.
How Bitter Radicchio Became Portland’s 21st-Century Sweetheart
A new book by Lane Selman and Margarett Waterbury tells how the vegetable became a poster child for our local food culture at its best.
Organicology 2027 Announces Program & Speaker Lineup Exploring What’s Next for Organic
Organicology is known for combining big-picture conversations with practical education participants can put to work. The three-day program brings together 28 speakers representing a wide range of perspectives and experience across the organic movement: farmers and food-system leaders, researchers, advocates, certifiers and standards experts, retailers, distributors and others working throughout the organic supply chain.
Organically Grown Company Promotes Brad Stark to Vice President of Sales
Fourth-generation produce professional brings decades of sales experience, organic industry expertise and a lifelong connection to agriculture to key leadership role.
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.
Radicchio & Chicory Toolkit
With shoppers searching your department for the new and novel, the time is right to bring in a rainbow of organic radicchios and chicories. Ubiquitous in Italy, these vibrant, bitter greens have been becoming a popular addition to salad bowls in North America too. The Northwest crop kicks off in October and extends into winter for the perfect opportunity to bring shoppers an exciting alternative to lettuce during cooler months—though these leaves are also at home on the stove.
Apple Toolkit
A crisp feeling in the air and the crunch of leaves underfoot are classic fall feelings, but autumn needs a quintessential crisp and crunchy fruit to go with it. To make sure your department matches the season, OGC has a steady stream of delicious and unique apple varieties all fall long. With over 60 varieties throughout the season, celebrate the harvest by promoting fan favorites and bring in special heirloom varieties to help your department or menu stand out.
A Bunch Beyond the Basics
September hits the sweet spot for organic grapes. California fruit is still rolling in while Northwest vineyards are hitting their stride, bringing some of the most flavorful and interesting varieties of the year. It’s a great time to go beyond red and green and build a grape display that invites shoppers to discover something new.
A Northwest Tomato For Every Summer Meal
Northwest tomato season is firing on all cylinders. Whether shoppers are after a thick slice for a BLT, handfuls of sweet cherry tomatoes or colorful heirlooms for summer entertaining, nearly every tomato category is tasting great and available in promotable volume. This is the moment to build brimming displays that celebrate the incredible variety of tomato season.
Peak NW Melon Season Is Here. Time to Go Big.
Now's the time to build the giant display, schedule the melon demo, order the bin and give shoppers a reason to fill their cart. We've rounded up the varieties available, dive into this year's dry-farmed melon crop (why they matter, how they're grown and why one bite usually turns curious eaters into believers) and why August is the month to go big.
NW Melon Season is Off to a Tasty Start
Melons have been on since May from Mexico and California and as the Northwest season kicks off, OGC’s melon buyer Rachel Pienovi is sourcing delicious melon from growers in Hermiston, Oregon and Eltopia, Washington.
Harvesting Wisdom: Crush Summer Sales with Great Grapes
Organic grapes are a staple for retailers nearly year-round, and an item shoppers look for on their weekly visits. Understanding seasonality in this important commodity is key to maximizing sales.
Berry Smart: Balancing Margins & Seasonal Insight to Grow Sales
Berries can and should be the number one category in driving sales, but they can also jeopardize margin performance if you’re not strategic with merchandising, inventory management, and promotions.
Northwest Open Pint Blueberries Are On
Blueberries are one of the flavors of summer, and at Mckay Creek Farm in North Plains, Oregon, the season is just getting underway.
Grape Toolkit
From organic seedless table grapes and candy seedless specialty varieties to Northwest-grown options and Ladybug Brand recyclable grape totes, there’s a lot to know and love about this tasty category.
Chase This Season’s Juiciest Fruit
OGC Stone Fruit Buyer Brian Keogh spends months talking to growers, evaluating varieties and sourcing the season's best fruit. Head over to OGC’s blog and watch “BK” slice and bite into the varieties turning heads, staining shirts and reminding us why summer tastes so good.
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.
Melon Toolkit
Use this collection of resources to educate, entice and delight staff and shoppers, keeping melon sales strong past Labor Day!
Stone Fruit Toolkit
Ring the bell and sound the alarm – stone fruit harvest is starting in California with the first organic apricots hitting OGC’s docks this week and red cherries following closely behind. By June, the first nectarines and peaches will arrive and finally plums and pluots.
To help guide you through this delicious season, we’ve put together a Stone Fruit Toolkit full of resources.