Grower Spotlight
Meet Some of Our Amazing Grower-Partners
Featured
The prohibitive costs of utilizing cover crops had Nick Andrews, an Organic Extension Agent from Oregon State University who focuses on organic vegetable production, wondering if he couldn’t create accessible solutions to encourage more cover-cropping not only by organic growers, but all growers looking to incorporate the beneficial practice. Utilizing the same hardware many growers already use to apply fertilizer, Nick began tinkering.
Harvests of Northwest-grown vegetables, fruit and berries are at full tilt making it a busy and beautiful time of year at organic farms in the Willamette Valley. OGC recently headed out into the field to pay a visit to a handful of our incredible grower partners in the region.
Stone fruit orchards in California are heavy with sweet and succulent apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums and pluots. OGC recently had the opportunity to visit several of our incredible grower partners in the Central Valley to reconnect and see how this season’s fruit is coming along.
Available now in steady volume, be sure to bring in plenty of these greens and remind shoppers they’re nutritious, delicious and grown organically by small-to-medium-sized Northwest farms.
Autumn marks a special time of year for Mustard Seed Farms: giant pumpkin season! Tipping the scales at hundreds of pounds, these behemoth varieties are in high demand for seasonal displays and sales. Retailers are known to host contests, rewarding the closest guess that identifies the weight of these giants.
“I grew up on a diversified farm in Missouri,” Alan Schreiber jokes. “We grew soybeans AND corn.”
Now living and growing in Eltopia, WA. with partner Leisl Zappler, Alan is more than a farmer. He’s also a professor and founder of Agricultural Development Group (ADG), which specializes in agriculture research focused on fertility, insects, disease, weed control and variety trials.
On the foothills of majestic Mt. Hood in Oregon, in an area rich with agritourism, the Liepold family is in their 71st year of growing fruit and berries.
Third-generation Liepolds, Michelle and brother Jeff, along with their partners Paul and Jen, have taken the lead in the family business and are charting a bright future for the farm. Long dedicated to soil health and sustainable practices, Liepold Farms just completed its transition to organic certification.
Great news for fans of organic berries, as Liepold grows some Northwest favorites!
Lusty and luscious organic apricots from our friends at Frog Hollow Farm have something of a cult following. Asked for by name, these juicy gems leave little room for improvement and are enhanced by their whimsical label and the convenience of grab-and-go clamshells.
OGC Visits Oshala Farm & Their Medicinal Magic!
Whether enjoyed culinarily or selected for their hefty list of health benefits, spring is prime time for consuming Nettles! OGC is proud to partner with Oshala Farm to source these organically grown nutrient-dense greens, and recently jumped on the opportunity to visit farmers Elise and Jeff Higley in the field.
With groves in all three citrus districts in California and Mexico, Rainbow Valley Orchards proudly boasts a year-round supply of organic citrus and subtropical fruit. More than just a reliable source of high-quality produce, this grower-marketer is working to reduce barriers to choosing organic, whether for farmers or the end consumer.
Learn more about this long-term partner helping OGC bring organic citrus to eager eaters in the Pacific Northwest!
With a relationship spanning more than three decades, OGC has long relied on the impressive work of our friends at Covilli Brand Organics to help keep Northwest eaters flush with high-quality produce during our cooler months. As local growers tuck their fields in for a winter rest, Covilli provides core “summer” vegetables and fruits grown in Sonora’s Epalme Valley.
Learn more about a new product, Covilli’s expansion, and what’s eating exceptionally well right now!
Since 2005, Organics Unlimited has utilized its GROW program to invest over $2,700,000 into communities in the banana-growing regions of Mexico and Ecuador. OGC is proud to support this program, especially as the cost of bringing high-quality, sustainable food from farm to plate increases.
Learn more about how the rising cost of goods impacts the banana industry and how retailers and shoppers can help invest in a sustainable and equitable supply chain.
Don’t miss the link to a powerful podcast featuring Daniella Velazquez de Leon from Organics Unlimited as she details these challenges.
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.
Boldly Grown Farm was built upon a very specific vision and followed a strategy that few first-time farmers take. Amy and Jacob decided early on that they would focus on wholesale relationships rather than try their hand at farmers markets and retail-direct sales. They also made the decision to grow exclusively fall and winter crops.
The progression from summer to fall recently inspired OGC to reflect on the theme of “transitions.” Supporting the next generation of organic farmers, and finding opportunities to prioritize more growers of color, are two of OGC’s priorities. While not new news to those in the Pacific Northwest’s community of growers and purveyors of organic produce, Jamie Kitzrow and wife Lisa Schwartz’s retirement from farming in 2019 and their subsequent passing of the torch from Spring Hill Farm to Sunrise and Eloisa is a lovely story to share this time of year that touches on both themes.
This is the final chapter of our four-part series on Denison Farms’ transition with the story of Little Garden Farm.
Like Commonplace Farm and Riverland Family Farms, this small, family-run organic grower has benefitted from Tom Denison and Elizabeth Kerle’s commitment to ensuring the next generation of young farmers find success in an increasingly challenging landscape.
We wish Tom and Elizabeth the best as they enjoy their next chapter and hope you join us in supporting these three fantastic growers!
“Our culture, language, music, food is all influenced by farming,” says Inder Singh of the fertile Punjab region in India that he, his business partner and brother-in-law Tal Singh, and their families hail from. “We’re a multi-generational family of farmers. My father farmed, as did my grandfather and many before him.”
Beyond just gorgeous specialty lettuce, chicories and fresh herbs, Jeremy and Ashli Mueller are using acreage purchased from long-time organic farmer Tom Denison to make the career of farming accessible to future generations.
For over four decades, Denison Farms has been a household name to many shoppers in the Willamette Valley who have purchased their organic produce at area farmers markets. Tom is one of the earliest organic farmers in Oregon to find success at scale, and created a farming model that set the benchmark for many in the region.
Now, a year since the last pint of berries was sold under the Denison Farm name, OGC takes a look at how Tom’s decades of experience helped to make way for a new generation of organic farmers and his inspiring story of succession planning.
Join us as we share the four chapters of Denison Farms’ transition from Tom’s early days of farming and the sale of his life’s work to three next-generation Willamette Valley growers now coaxing crops from the land.
A long-time grower partner and land-steward, Whitewater Ranch is as picturesque a location as anyone could hope to farm. Bordered by the river on one side and hugged by a forested ridge on the other, the farm’s rows of blueberries are stunning against their natural backdrop.
Learn more about Whitewater Ranch, just one of the many dedicated growers OGC relies on to fill delicious packs of Ladybug Brand blueberries!
Founded in 1893 upon the fertile soil of Kingsburg, California, Peterson Family Farm is more than just an exceptional stone fruit grower. Learn how Vernon Peterson has assembled a group of farmers and a team of workers he regards as a family to produce fruit that’s beyond organic.
Nikiko Masumoto, a third-generation stone fruit grower in California’s Central Valley, talks about variety selection, intuitive eating and her goal of challenging implicit bias about food. More than just growers of impeccable peaches and nectarines, learn why Masumoto Family Farm is a leader in progressive thinking.
When OGC’s stone fruit Buyer Brian Keogh wants to know how a variety from Valliwide Marketing is eating, he picks up the phone and calls Mason Parkinson. Mason can be relied on for a straight answer and makes it a point always to test the fruit. Learn why selecting stone fruit from Valliwide is a delicious choice!
On a dreamy farm in the Southern Willamette Valley, sister and brother pair Sarah and Joel Hucka coax a bouquet of fresh herbs from their well-tended soil. Learn more about Circle h Farm’s dedication to holistic growing practices and why shoppers will reach for herbs to add interest in the kitchen this season!
On a stunning morning this past week, Juan invited OGC to take a farm tour to check out the lettuce that OGC buyer Matt Visser can’t say enough good things about.
Juan and Maria Aparicio run a tight ship. Nuevo Amanecer is a case study of variety selection and methodical decision-making that are vital for small-scale farms to succeed. Learn more about this exceptional Willamette Valley grower and their high-quality produce.
Oshala Farm grows three acres of organic nettles, which are traditionally a wildcrafted plant. “Many people have access to nettles, but others don’t, and the soil health and where they grow are significant,” says grower Elise Higley. “Native plants often grow in ecologically sensitive waterways where they keep their little feet wet, but not all waterways are clean, so cultivation is a great option.”
Spring means rhubarb and Montecucco Farms’ annual harvest is one that OGC eagerly anticipates!
Longer days mean lighter, more colorful meals as shoppers ditch the dutch oven and reach for the salad bowl! Helping keep eaters’ appetite for tasty warm-weather crops satiated during the Northwest’s cool, wet months are our friends Wholesum Family Farms. With locations in Arizona and northern and central Mexico, OGC is grateful for our long partnership with Wholesum. Beyond delicious crops, Wholesum is also a leader in Fair Trade, contributing to their communities in both the U.S. and Mexico.
The demand for wildcrafted foods, such as Morel mushrooms and Fiddlehead ferns, has grown year over year as eaters become more familiar with both the health benefits and complex flavor of these foraged goods. For the past 30 years, one of OGC’s partners for all-things-wild, Foods in Season, has helped provide our region with tasty morsels from the forest while providing essential work for generations of local families.
Packed with nutrients, organic Shasta View Wheatgrass is an ideal addition to juice and smoothies for shoppers looking to level up their wellness routine. Learn more about the phenomenal family behind this powerful product, the challenges they have overcome this past year, and why now is a great time to feature wheatgrass in your produce display!