SAN DIEGO, CA- The era of the conscious consumer is here, and Organics Unlimited is set to usher it in.
Last year was a big one for the organic banana grower, having undertaken a brand refresh designed to reflect its principled values to compassionate consumers, among other initiatives. So I touched base with President and CEO Mayra Velazquez de León to connect about how the company is moving forward and building its programs with those principles in mind.
“My family has been growing truly organic bananas for generations in Mexico. We are proud of the processes we have in place that allow customers to receive their orders on time with consistent, high quality,” Mayra explains. “Our customers say they value our organic bananas for a few reasons: we provide high-quality organic bananas, consistently and on time, using the most sustainable methods possible.”
In the recent brand refresh, Organics Unlimited aligned its new banana sticker slogans with the company’s core value of sustainability, while using the opportunity to talk directly to consumers. These messages include:
- Sustainability is the fruit of healthy communities
- Eco-friendly organic produce from our eco-family
- The most responsible banana you’ll ever meet
- Sustainable and ethically farmed from the ground up
“We understand the importance of sharing our values to help engage and inform those who eat our organic bananas,” Mayra shares. “The messages that consumers now see on the banana stickers share our values of cultivating communities and farming in a responsible, sustainable, and eco-friendly way.”
Promoting these values a step further, Organics Unlimited has put together a comprehensive retailer and distributor marketing program; with boxes that are specifically designed to use in displays, digital tools available through the company website, and updated point-of-purchase materials along with a multitude of sales sheets to give retailers the tools they need to boost the ring at the register.
With the glowing success of the banana category, Organics Unlimited has also ventured into organic plantains and coconuts, to great response. Mayra tells me that when adding acreage, the company doesn’t use previously cultivated land, choosing instead to build sustainable farms from the ground up. And, Mayra adds, carbon footprint and logistics are always considered when making these strategic decisions.
And, the company’s principled approach to business doesn’t stop with the Organics Unlimited brand.
“Because growing organic bananas has been a family business for generations, I’ve grown up visiting our farms in rural Mexico and the small farms of our partner growers," Mayra says. "I’ve known many of the workers and their families for years. Giving back to the communities near our farms has always been important to me.”
Enter the GROW Fund, a nonprofit program developed by Organics Unlimited in 2005. The fund allows the company to provide assistance to organizations such as Children International, Project Amigo, Environmental Health Coalition and others, in order to support the communities near its farms. Over the past decade, through retailer and distributor support, GROW organic banana purchases have raised over $2 million in aid for communities in Mexico and Ecuador. A percentage derived from the purchase of each box of GROW organic bananas is earmarked for the GROW Fund.
Retailers looking to answer the call for responsible produce can find more information at OrganicsUnlimited.com or look for the grower at the Organicology trade show in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday February 4, 2017.
