Mayra Velazquez de León, president of Organics Unlimited, a San Diego, CA-based grower that specializes in growing organic banana and coconuts, said it’s extremely important to her and the rest of her team to focus on sustainability and better the health of the ag ecosystem for future generations.

“Everyone is talking about sustainability and eating healthier and organic,” she said. “People are thinking about nutrition but also looking at their carbon footprint and social responsibility. What I’m seeing is more people trying to get into the organic market.”

The Organics Unlimited team in Mexico.The influx of more companies involved in organics is driving prices lower, which Velazquez de León opined was “good in a way,” but it’s also “damaging the growers.”

“We have to look at it from different points of view,” she said. “Business was good in 2017, even with the big companies trying to get in and bringing prices down. I can see things changing in terms of what’s going on in the production side of things, but I can’t complain about what we saw.”

Organics Unlimited experienced larger volumes thanks to increased production acreage and sales were up for organic bananas.

“Interest in organic coconuts, four or five years ago, was tremendous. People were looking for organic coconuts everywhere,” Velazquez de León said. “Right now, it’s slowed down quite a bit, and there’s not that huge a production of them. There’s not enough out there for people to really push a sale on coconuts.”

Velazquez de León believes most retailers have gotten on board the organic train, as just about every supermarket has an organic section.

“It is a must-have today, it’s no longer an option. If people come into a store and don’t see organic, they may go somewhere else,” she said. “It’s not just a trend; it’s a strong commodity that all retailers now know they have to provide as an option.”

The company is fully sustainable and its sustainability program prioritizes organic planting, cultivating and harvesting systems, all while employing environmentally friendly technologies that meet the strict organic farming guidelines in all phases of the growing cycle.

“Our carbon footprint is very low and when it comes to organic bananas, it’s the lowest,” Velazquez de León said.

“In Mexico, our social responsibility is also a big part of our program. We take care of our workers, their families and communities, providing clean water, early childhood development, clinics, etc. For us, it’s full circle when we talk about sustainability.”

The company regularly attends organic-focused trade shows and is grateful that more are popping up and that people are taking organic more seriously.

In 2018, Organics Unlimited plans on increasing its acreage again (to above 600 hectares) and Velazquez de León expects another strong season.

“We’re also remodeling our offices and that will be ready by the end of January,” she said. “We also installed solar in our warehouse for our coolers, which is a big plus for our sustainability program.”