Supermarket Perimeter - July 2020 - 44

RETAILERS
Why you should take another
look at organic produce
* Pricing closer to conventional
* More accessibility
* Appealing to the health-conscious

It comes as no surprise, then, that US organic fresh produce sales
jumped 22% in March and 8% overall for the ﬁrst quarter.
"Because they're interconnected with consumers' concerns over
health and wellbeing, it is highly probable that these trends will
continue through the pandemic and hopefully translate into long-term
habits beyond it," Gardner added.
Oppy has long offered retailers a comprehensive organic program
that has evolved over time to meet increasing consumer demand,
Gardner said. The company's offerings include blueberries and
strawberries, SunGold and green kiwifruit, as well as greenhouse
peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other items.
Another product Oppy is very excited about is its organic ginger,
which has seen huge demand, Gardner said.
"We're now actively ﬁelding interest from various accounts and
retailers to expand this program, which indicates the high quality of the
ginger, which will begin selling in mid-June."
Gardner reported exceptional quality and ample volumes of all
organic product heading into summer.

Year-round coverage
Organic fruit sales remain steady for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt
Growers LLC, with some organic apple varieties shipping year-round
thanks to the company's ability to store organic apples longer, and
because of a strong partnership with Argentinian producers, said
Brianna Shales, Stemilt's communications manager.
While some organic apples go out of season in the summer, others
are available for year-round, she said. Stemilt also has a robust roster
of organic stone fruit. Organic cherry promotions will peak in July, and
44 - JULY 2020

starting in mid-July, Stemilt will ship organic peaches and nectarines.
"We've been growing these fruits organically for more than a
decade, and it's a great program to build the organic category around,"
Shales said.
Stemilt expects to have tree-ripened organic stone fruit through
September. Heading into the summer deals, Shales said quality and
volume expectations was "strong."
Stemilt's Artisan Organics peach and nectarine program is a
highlight every summer, Shales said, because of the fruit size and ﬂavor
differentiation that comes with farming these fruits organically in the
company's arid Washington locales.
"It's such a great program to build consumer delight around,"
she said.
It's hard to predict what effect the coronavirus will have on organic
fruit demand going forward, Shales said. Organic demand was strong
pre-pandemic and saw great growth in the ﬁrst two months of
stock-up buying.
Produce sales in general are also up, so it's a win-win for organic
produce suppliers.
But with so many Americans losing their jobs, and even those still
employed watching their pocketbooks more closely, organic demand
could be affected.
"I think one big unknown will be the economy and whether or not
the occasional organic shopper will continue to spend on the premium
that organics typically demand," Shales said.
Looking ahead, Stemilt expects to grow organic volumes of several
apple varieties in the coming years, including SweeTango, Pink Lady and
Cosmic Crisp.

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STEMILT

* New varieties
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Supermarket Perimeter - July 2020

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