Our Mission

 Mission Statement

Our company’s bond with Organic Agriculture was formed in 1984 as a response to the needs of a small group of Organic produce distributors and retailers hungry for better access to the growing network of Organic farms spread throughout California. With Los Angeles as a base we provided storage and consolidation services enabling a greater quantity of fresh organic produce to travel quickly from farm to market.

 We evolved organically as well, continuing to respond and adapt to the needs of our customers around the country. We never had a business plan.  Rather our growth came as a result of the relationships nurtured everyday. If a customer needed some kind of service, we set out to provide it. We found that by doing this we fostered sustainable partnerships with our customers. Over time many of these partnerships have flourished and borne fruit in the form of greatly expanded flow and distribution of organic produce. At the same time we developed friendships with the Organic farming community, who saw our services as a way to reach out to a wider market. Our consolidation services were soon complimented by brokerage and procurement services, and we began to act as sales agents for a number of growers. 

Our beliefs about the essence of Organic Farming shaped us from the beginning.  The movement toward a sustainable agriculture has at its roots the longing we all have to feel whole and connected and one with our world. Having a closer relationship with our food is an important part of this. Seeing this relationship as part of a sacred process gives us energy to act as stewards of our planet rather than plunderers. The work that we do each day is also an important element in this notion of sustainability. Practicing what the Buddhists call “right livelihood” enables us to contribute to the nurturing of our planet even as we evolve spiritually as individuals. Indeed this is all one process, and our participation in it is its’ own reward. 

We are now witnessing a quickening of the growth in the business side of the “organic” phenomenon. The industry has grown dramatically, from a mostly small, independent collection of family farmers and natural foods retailers to reach the doorstep of the mass market. The concept of certification has taken hold, giving legitimacy to producers and supporting the proliferation of new organic farms. The distribution side of the industry has evolved; we now have an international network of wholesalers dedicated almost exclusively to organic produce. The overall increase in product has fueled the growth of a number of small and large “natural products” retail operations, and caused the conventional mass-market retailers to enter the arena as well. Organic has become a “growth product”, causing its’ commercial viability to be tested and exploited just as any product has always been in our commercial economy.

Many of us feel however that we are part of something different here. When our minds became awakened to the ideas of ecology and sustainability we found that our hearts and souls were affected as well. Those fortunate ones who found their way to an organic relationship with the earth through farming became forever changed, inspired by the creative magic they found in the processes they nurtured. For most of us, an involvement with organic agriculture has been the cornerstone for a personal spiritual evolution, which has forever changed the way we live, and work from day to day. It is from this deep-rooted experience that we draw our inspiration and enthusiasm, which in turn fuels our efforts to build sustainable enterprises.

As organic becomes a mainstream phenomenon the limits of sustainability are going to be tested. It is our belief that the concept of scale should be a key component in determining whether an enterprise is truly organic. The globalization of our present economies has created massive social and ecological imbalances. Greater interaction with the world is a good thing, but we must continue to respect basic ecological principles in the process. Organic farming teaches us that operating rationally on a modest, more local scale, creates balance and diversity, and fosters a healthy environment for plants, animals, and people.  While there are many positive benefits to the rise in the number of large conventional farms transitioning to organic methods, we believe that elements of scale and diversity must be central to a true definition of what is organic. Whenever possible, we intend to support smaller, locally owned and operated farms, which embrace a holistic and diverse approach to farming, in hope that they will provide a model for the future of agriculture.

In the marketplace we believe that we have an opportunity to create a new model for how to conduct business in a rapidly changing world. Our challenge is to build a compassionate form of capitalism, in which notions of co-operation and fairness become balanced with free market principles. Business enterprises should be seen as just one part of our existence on this planet. We need to bring a new perspective to our decision making processes, focusing on the health of the planet which is our home, and remembering that as humans we are part of one community, an organic whole if you will, where all of our actions have consequences. 

Meeting this challenge in a world where businesses have traditionally focused on the threat of competition is not an easy task. Focusing on co-operative partnerships based on trust requires faith, a belief in the power of positive actions. Farmers are fortunate in that they see the miracles of creation in their fields and orchards every day. Those of us whose work is performed in less natural arenas need to remind ourselves to look to the farm, and to the earth that sustains it, for our inspiration. We should never forget where our food comes from, and by honoring the process by which it is brought to our table; our actions in the world of commerce will be honorable as well. We should strive to bring about a new definition of what it means to be “successful” as a business. As with organic farming, our enterprises must be judged by their sustainability. Profit is a necessary part of that, but equally important is whether the people doing the work are happy and healthy, and whether the product of their efforts is one that contributes to the happiness and health of others. It almost seems too simple, but one only need look around to see how many businesses are unsustainable because they are out of touch with these basic principles.

So it will be our goal to observe these simple rules, just as farmers must observe the rules of nature, and try to create and nurture a sustainable business, that succeeds because it recognizes its place and its responsibility in the whole and connected and one world that we all live in.

 Please join us!