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NUTRITION Rogue Valley stores go organic in a big way It's no longer just a 'bunch of hippies' selling natural produce Comment By Greg Stiles For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News It's hard to nail down the exact tipping point that propelled organic produce and natural artisan foods, often associated with alternative lifestyles in past generations, to a mainstay of today's shopping lists. Steve Fry, of Fry Family Farm outside Talent, points to USDA labeling requirements instituted six years ago for creating a new level of awareness. "Before it was kind of an obscure bunch of hippies selling organic food. It didn't have the same validity," Fry said. "Everyone would probably admit when the federal government standardized all organics, that's when it went mainstream and put it on everybody's radar." By May 2014, the Rogue Valley's commitment to organic and natural foods was set in stone when voters declared Jackson County off-limits to genetically modified crops, a result accompanied by a similar non-binding vote in Josephine County. The ever-increasing demand for organic produce and natural foods is attracting additional suppliers. Once the domain of Ashland Food Co-op, Shop 'n Kart and farmer's markets, the trend picked up momentum when Sherm's Food 4 Less hopped on board a decade ago. The arrival of Natural Grocers and Trader Joe's in Medford signaled another milestone. Walk into Fred Meyer or Albertsons today, and you won't have trouble finding organic displays. "This is unquestionably demand driven," said 71-year-old Bill Lacey, a 50-year veteran of the grocery business, including the past 18 with Food 4 Less. "More people are eating organic food, there are a lot of doctors recommending it for everything from rashes to internal problems, and in the end, it tastes better." Organic growers, generally tilling a few dozen acres, can't go toe-to-toe with corporate farms where crops are planted by hundreds or thousands of acres. As a result, organic produce can be double, or even more, the price of non-organic items from large-scaled operations. Lacey points out a conventional head of leaf lettuce on one side of the Food 4 Less produce section priced at 89 cents, while its organic counterpart is $1.49. It sells nonetheless. "The customer is more aware and intelligent now," Lacey said. "They want to be healthier and consequently living longer." Growing demand for local foods has enticed more people into food production. In 2004, when Tom Marks launched Ashland-based Organic Produce Warehouse, a farm produce and artisan product distributorship, the pickings were fairly lean. "In the beginning, I had to draw from more out-of-town manufacturers," Marks said. "Over the last three or four years. I've seen the number of local manufacturers double or triple. We're seeing competition where there wasn't competition before. We're producing a lot more food here, including grain for animals, and the animals here are producing more than we thought." Start-up companies are finding new ways to market their goods to an expanding base. When the state OK'd community public offerings, giving Oregonians the opportunity to invest in local companies, organic and natural food makers seized the moment. Among Marks' vendors are Red Wagon Creamery in Eugene, Ton Ton's Artisan Affections of Talent and Wylie's Honey Brews of Phoenix. Start-ups and new farming operations contributed to a 55 percent revenue growth for Organic Produce Warehouse in 2014. "The demand for the artisan quality foods has really jumped," said Marks, whose territory runs from Mount Shasta City, Calif., to Portland. "Our natural food division is growing at a ridiculous rate." His value-added product manufacturers turn out a growing list of goods, ranging from humus, salsa and pesto to sauerkraut, kombucha and pickled vegetables. Eating and buying local has different meaning to different operators, said Jesse Smith-Richards, a produce manager at Natural Grocers in Medford, with larger chains considering local something well beyond the state line. Natural Grocers operates in 17 states and plans to open its 100th store next month. Much of the company's produce is from the Northwest, but it dips into California as well. "People want to know what's going on with food and where it's from," he said. "We get a lot of our local organic produce from Organic Produce Warehouse. There are more and more farms selling organics, and going through a middle man allows farther distribution than they would have otherwise." The GMO debate produced interest on both sides of the equation, Smith-Richards said. "More people want to know what's going into their food and the best way to know is by knowing where it comes from," he said. "With more people involved it's going to be cheaper." There are still typical agricultural-related issues affecting prices, Smith-Richards said. "The big factor right now is the drought in California causing price fluctuations," he said. "Celery has been jumping up and down as much as a dollar a pound. Overall, though, prices are coming down in comparison to conventional produce." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge . By Greg Stiles For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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