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“There are so many of them during the summertime that the price really declines because there can be overproduction,” she says. “So you’re not able to maintain that organic margin and that’s when they suffer.”
But the incentives are still there. Chris Christian, vice president of the California Strawberry Commission, notes the state’s total fresh strawberry production grew by 9% in 2018, while for organics the rate was at 30%.
“Many organic farmers also have conven- tional fields, and that way they’re mitigating their risk on the organic side,” she says. “And then we’re continually researching, and farmers are adopting new production prac- tices to manage diseases in the field without the use of chemical fumigants.”
Christian also observes a general premium
for organic strawberries, but the gap with conventional has been narrowing. Another cost pressure on organic growers is the conversion time needed for fields to transition to organic from conventional, so that certifiers can rest assured chemical residues are not in the soil.
“If you’re renting on ground, you can’t make the commitment to convert it over a three-year time period because you can’t guarantee you’re the only guy on there for three years,” says Jewell. “Unless you own the ground, you can’t really make that commit- ment, so it isn’t an easy trigger to pull.”
Jewell clarifies one way around this issue is the trend toward putting berries in pots, through what is known as substrate produc- tion. This is particularly common in blueberries, and it’s a trend also noted by Janice Honigberg,
owner of Sun Belle Inc., in Chicago.
“In our experience, the production we’re working with really was not transitional,” says Honigberg. “Previously, there was much more ofthatgoingonbutnowalotofitisnew plantations. With the substrate growing that
[transition] becomes kind of irrelevant.” Not all growers want to take on substrate though, and according to Ryan Lockman of North Bay Produce, there is a good amount of conversion for organic blueberries in the
Pacific Northwest and California, as well. Jerald Downs, president of Berry People in Hollister, CA, says there has been a veri- table “boom” in organics in the Pacific North- west, particularly with growing conditions in Eastern Washington allowing for large-scale
developments to fill market gaps.
n HOW TO MERCHANDISE ORGANIC BERRIES
Although most industry players diplomat- ically say the jury is out on whether retailers should place organic berries next to conven- tional or just have an organic destination, the majority lean toward the former.
“It’s very clear from our customers in the past that have converted from keeping or- ganics in a segregated section of the store versus marketing them side by side, that organic sales have soared by marketing them next to the conventional,” says Gary Wishnatzki, owner Wish Farms, Plant City, FL.
“We do find retailers with separate sec- tions won’t be promoting the organics as much as if they were side by side,” notes Janice Honigberg, owner of Chicago-based Sun Belle, Inc., whose company has a spe- cial Green Belle label to differentiate its organic offering.
Most agree having organic berries in a special organic section is still worthwhile though for catering to the “die-hard” fans. In strawberries, the leaders of industry groups are in favor of keeping the categories apart.
“The best practice in terms of merchandis- ing is to create an organic berry destination category,” says Chris Christian, vice president of the California Strawberry Commission. “Usually the primarily organic shopper is go- ing to that section of the department, and it’s most efficient to merchandise organic berries separately from conventional berries.”
“It may be confusing to consumers if they’re not checking the labels when con- ventional is put next to the organic,” says
Sue Harrell, marketing director at the Flor- ida Strawberry Growers Association. “Mar- keting them separately in different areas on display is best.”
Andy Martin, president of Watsonville, CA-based A&A Organic Farms, has found a way to entice more people to organics, and that’s by merchandising the organic berries in Ready Cycle recyclable cardboard containers.
“The Pacific Northwest, which is your mecca of environmental forward-thinking, they love it,” he says. “We were getting a good 40% more for our strawberries in the Ready Cycle than we were getting in the L.A. area, and the growers reaped the benefits.”
Martin highlights an alignment in val- ues between shoppers who want organic and those who are willing to pay a little bit more to avoid plastic waste.
“Some of the plastic we’re creating is going to be around in the environment for thousands of years, whereas other types of packaging will either be recycled, or com- posted and broken down,” he says. “The organic people seem to be more in touch with that as they want food that’s not be- ing sprayed with chemicals and other types of additives. They’re thinking in an environ- mental sense, and they’re trying to support that with their food purchases.”
Martin emphasizes it is a change that could take time. His company still supplies berries to customers who prefer plastic packaging, but he encourages more retail- ers to trial a switch.
“Once you put it [recyclable packaging] in there the social media buzz just takes right off.”
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