San Antonio firms eye organic expansion

As the farm-to-table movement grows and demand for local produce rises, organics are also surging forward in popularity. In 2017, according to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic produce in the United States climbed 5.3 percent to $16.5 billion.

This comes as no surprise to Tony Incaviglia, vice president of sales and marketing at grower and importer GR Fresh, which has offices in both San Antonio and McAllen.

“Organics is still the least fulfilled category in produce,” Incaviglia said. “This category continues to grow every year at a shocking rate. There isn’t enough supply, and retailers are continually looking for more.”

At the moment, GR Fresh’s organic offerings are limited to Roma tomatoes, but there are plans to possibly expand into organic green bell peppers, eggplant, cucumber, squash, and other tomatoes.

San Antonio-based NatureSweet, Ltd., the biggest North American grower of greenhouse tomatoes, has also read the organic tea leaves. In January 2017, the company unveiled its Brighthouse Organics line. According to marketing director Lori Castillo, it’s been a constant upward trend.

“Since the initial launch, the brand has rapidly grown and changed as market demand for organics continues to grow and we continue to learn more about organic consumer preferences, habits, and practices,” Castillo said.

This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full version.