Is Certified Organic Hydroponics the New Frankenfoods?
by Abigail Harris – Executive Director, Provender Alliance Is Certified Organic hydroponics the new Frankenfoods? New developments are arising within CCOF and the broader natural foods community regarding organic certification of hydroponics. A few years ago, USDA Organic approved hydroponic operations. Within the organic community, this continues to be a big bone of contention. At the recent EcoFarm Conference in California, many attendees participated in a tour of a Certified Organic [Read More]
Hummingbird Wholesale Launches New Snack Line
Eugene, Oregon—Hummingbird Wholesale introduces a new line of Organic snacks for people who care about food, farmers, health, community, and the planet. Hummingbird Wholesale has launched their grab-and-go Organic snack line. Hummingbird has created this new retail line of snacks, packed in resealable, stand-up kraft pouches in two sizes (2.5 oz and 6 oz). Filled with their small-batch, in-house manufactured products, this line represents Hummingbird’s commitment to Pacific Northwest Organic farmers and ethically sourced, global Organic ingredients. Every Hummingbird Snack [Read More]
Editorial: Biokleen Sells to Global Equity Firm
by Abigail Harris – Executive Director, Provender Alliance I heard big news the other day that Pacific Northwest-based Biokleen sold to The Carlyle Group (via their subsidiary Weinman Products), one of the world’s largest equity firms with over $200 billion in assets. I use Biokleen laundry powder and Bac-out stain remover. I first heard of their products from my cashier at the Food Conspiracy Co-op in Tucson when I lived there years ago. She was a mom and said the [Read More]
Sales Business Development Representative Job Opening – GloryBee, Eugene/Portland Metro area
Nature’s Path “Legend Organic Farm” Becomes Real Organic Certified
by Dave Chapman, Executive Director – The Real Organic Project We were happy to certify Legend Organic Farm as part of the Real Organic Project this past summer. The iconic organic cereal company, Nature’s Path, created Legend Organic Farm to explore and demonstrate the best of organic grain farming. It is a “Think And DO Tank”. Located in Saskatchewan, Canada, Legend Organic Farm is 5000 acres. At a time when the American organic market is being flooded with fraudulently certified [Read More]
2020 Sustainability Summer Intern Opportunity Through Grant from Oregon Applied Sustainability Experience
by Briana Buckles, Sustainability Manager, East West Tea Company I wanted to share this opportunity for a 2020 sustainability summer intern provided through grant funding as part of the Oregon Applied Sustainability Experience (OASE). East West Tea Company had a great experience hosting an intern through the program this past summer, and I would highly recommend that interested companies apply. Participation is free for companies that are selected because OASE pays the interns directly through grant funding. Interested companies must [Read More]
Warehouse Associate Job Opening – Hummingbird Wholesale, Eugene, OR
Organically Grown Company Welcomes Jan McCaffrey as VP of People
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest-based organic produce distributor Organically Grown Company (OGC) is thrilled to announce the addition of Jan McCaffrey to its leadership team. Jan joins OGC with a notable career spanning from entrepreneurial ventures to global leadership. Jan most recently served as Director of Human Resources for the global civil engineering firm David Evans & Associates. Before that, she was Senior Human Resources Manager for Conway/XPO logistics, driving human resources and organizational design strategy across this global logistics company [Read More]
2019 App Event Feed Highlights from Provender Alliance 43rd Annual Educational Conference
From the Executive Director’s Desk
by Abigail Harris For those of us in the Pacific Northwest natural foods industry – the biggest news of this holiday season is the announcement that New Seasons Market of Portland, OR, has sold to Emart of South Korea. This sale to a global retailer is the main topic of conversation in many break rooms of Provender member businesses. New Seasons was originally revered as a local business that “made good” in a competitive market place crowded with Whole Foods [Read More]
From the Board of Directors: How a Provender Connection Turned a ‘Cold Call’ into a Warm Business Relationship
by Mark DiMaggio – board member, Provender Alliance We have another successful Conference in the books! Thank you to all members that participated and send staff to the Conference. Being at the Conference provides tremendous energy and inspiration to first-timers and those that have been for 40 years. Yet, I encourage all members and staff to realize what it means to be a part of the Provender community outside of the Conference. Being a Provender member means more than attending [Read More]
How an Organic Food Distribution Company Helped Save a 60-Acre Organic Hazelnut Orchard
[An abbreviated version of this article first appeared in TAKE ROOT Magazine, a media trade partner with Provender Alliance.] by Stacy Ann Kraker Hummingbird Wholesale is on a mission to increase Organic acreage and strengthen local food systems. One way they’re doing it? By supporting Oregon Organic hazelnut farmers and encouraging more regional eaters to give these delicious nuts a try. The Horning family has been farming in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since the 1940s. In 2017, fourth-generation farmer Steve Horning and [Read More]
Organically Grown Company’s Journey to Trust Ownership – and Beyond
By Sarah Joannides, Alternative Ownership Advisors Founded in 1978, Organically Grown Company has been a pioneer in sustainable, organic agriculture for over 40 years. From its roots as a nonprofit started by activists, OGC has grown into one of the largest independent organic produce distributors in the US. Along the way, they have evolved and iterated their ownership structure to continually deepen their mission and multi-stakeholder approach, a journey which took them from nonprofit to farmers’ cooperative, and [Read More]
New International Guide to Fair Trade Labels
by Anna Canning “What’s the difference between all these fair trade labels?” It’s a question we get a lot at Fair World Project. And now there’s an updated set of resources to help answer that question, thanks to a global coalition of academics and fair trade organizations. The updated International Guide to Fair Trade Labels provides an in-depth analysis of the main fair trade labels in the global marketplace as well as outlines current trends in ethical labeling and the [Read More]
Growing Your Productivity: How Small Independent Retailers Can Compete with the Chains
by Carolee Colter – Consultant, Columinate No expense can go unexamined in this era of relentless competition. “The marketplace continues to get more efficient, and our competitors are constantly in a battle to lower prices,” says Don Moffitt, my Columinate colleague. Don conducts financial feasibility studies for retailers, particularly when they are looking to expand or refinance debt. Often a business contemplating a significant change can’t manage it without a hard look at reducing expenses. And in retail, [Read More]