Co-op Purposes Report 2018

For anyone who strives to eat seasonally in the Northwest, March can pose a particular challenge. After maintaining a steady diet of kale and potatoes, locals run out of new ways to cook winter squash, and they’ve long since emptied their freezers of summer fruit. There’s still a good month and a half before Washington asparagus makes its grand entrance. It’s in this void that sweet purple sprouting broccoli swoops in to revitalize tired taste buds.

“The Pacific Northwest is a leader in local, nutritious and organic food trends,” said Micaela Colley, Program Director with Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). “Purple sprouting broccoli falls into all these categories.”

In 2009, OSA began developing trial varieties of purple sprouting broccoli — an English heirloom broccoli — for the Northwest. Joined by Nash Huber of Nash’s Organic Produce — OSA’s neighbor on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula — and Tom Lively of Organically Grown Company (OGC) based in Eugene, Oregon, the project quickly gained momentum.

“OGC became involved in a desire to support Northwest winter production,” said Micaela.

Purple sprouting broccoli is planted in the fall. With florets resembling bouquets of French lavender, it’s ready for harvest before the first day of spring, providing a critical financial boost right when small farmers need it most.

“Our winters are cold enough to induce bud development, but not so cold that the crop freezes,” said Micaela.

Despite the Northwest’s temperate climate, a lot of work has been required to optimize this new organic vegetable for the region — work that continues today.

“The truth is, our winter lows can fluctuate,” said Micaela, “and not all varieties are equally cold tolerant.”

OSA works closely with local farms to track temperatures, test planting dates and ultimately breed new varieties that can grow reliably in Washington and Oregon. OGC supports growers in a myriad of ways, from hands-on training and crop monitoring to purchasing and distributing plant starts to setting guaranteed prices per case.

Encouraged by their longtime partnership with OGC and commitment to local growers, PCC petitioned the Washington State Department of Agriculture to select the purple sprouting broccoli project for funding. In addition, PCC pledged ongoing production support and marketing through both digital channels and in-store promotions.

“I’ve got to hand it to them,” said Joe Hardiman, veteran PCC Produce Merchandiser. “This project took a really long time. It’s amazing what they’ve done with it.”

Purple broccoli is one of many ways in which Organically Grown Company has bolstered local, organic food economies up and down the West Coast — work they’ve been committed to for more than 40 years.

Founded in 1978, OGC began as a community of gardeners, farmers and environmental advocates committed to making organic food more accessible. They exchanged knowledge and pooled their resources to buy supplies.

“When the founders realized that the best way to promote organic agriculture would be to help farmers sell their produce,” said Tonya Sanchez, OGC’s Marketing Communications Manager, “we became a grower-owned, agricultural marketing co-op.”

This means small farmers could combine their product in order to reach minimums required by restaurants and retailers. More product from small, local farms in the market means better access to high-quality, organic food for regional communities.

In 1993, OGC became an S Corporation in order to include employees in company ownership. Then, in July 2018, they embarked on a brand new business model by creating the Sustainable Food & Ag Perpetual Purpose Trust.

“The Trust will eventually hold 100 percent of ownership rights, ensuring that the company will never be swallowed up by outside investors or sold to a large competitor that might water down the mission,” said Tonya. “It allows the company to stay financially resilient and grow its impact through a community investment vehicle […], similar to many co-ops.”

Instead of focusing on shareholder interests and maximizing profits, OGC can now concentrate on maximizing their purpose — expanding organic agriculture in the U.S.

“OGC’s mission — to cultivate a diverse, sustainable and engaged organic trade from farm to marketplace — dovetails seamlessly with the work PCC does,” said Tonya. “Together, we focus holistically on supporting the organic marketplace.”

“OGC and PCC are like-minded companies,” said Kevin Byers, PCC Produce Merchandiser. “Our values are aligned and our stories are very similar.”

When it comes down to it, this partnership thrives because it’s driven by people, not profit.

Since 1998, PCC has worked with OGC to tackle organic agriculture projects, from establishing higher product standards to broadening and diversifying organic grocery inventory. Many small farms struggle to compete with large-production companies. OGC steps in by creating new markets for differentiated varieties of produce — new avenues for farmers who can’t churn out massive shipments of base commodities, like navel oranges and Gala apples.

This in turn enables PCC to supply their members and shoppers with nutritious, organic, and inspiring produce for more of the year. Enter: purple sprouting broccoli.

In its first year on shelves, PCC sold less than 50 pounds of the new variety. The following year, that number jumped by 96 percent.

“Some of our customers still have a hard time understanding that we can have local produce in February and March,” said Joe. “Now, a lot of those skeptical customers are marking their calendars every year for purple broccoli. And there’s a big customer base still yet to be found.”

Rich in antioxidants, purple sprouting broccoli has a sweet, nutty flavor similar to baby broccolini. It’s excellent served raw in a spring salad or try gentler methods of cooking, like baking or pan-frying, as its purple color fades to green with heat.

“Investing in local farmers and their purple sprouting broccoli crops is just one step in helping to develop a robust local food economy,” said Tonya.

Today, OGC continues to work with a growing number of Northwest farms to bring more purple sprouting broccoli to the region. In turn, more growers are able to keep their crews employed for a larger portion of the year.

“PCC is committed to supporting organic, local agriculture,” said Kevin, “and our partnership with Organically Grown Company allows us to fulfill that commitment.”