Creekside Organics’ products and services expand again with more organic citrus acreage and a new Monterey County location for the company’s wet vegetable program.

Creekside’s organic citrus season continues into late spring, said Ashley Berlinger, business development manager and sales representative for the grower-owned-and-operated marketing company. “There is still demand for organic citrus,” she said.

Ashley Berlinger, Business Development Manager and Sales Representative, Creekside Organics

Berlinger predicts Murcott mandarins will be available through the end of April despite the commodity’s short year industry wide. Organic lemons could extend to the end of May.

“Lemons have been extending domestically and trending that way for the last year or two,” Berlinger said. “It’s made for a competitive market where traditionally it would be much tighter on organic lemons in the summer.”

Capay Organics serves as Creekside’s largest grower-partner, supplying organic lettuces, melons, hard squash, herbs, and more to its spring and summer programs. Creekside and Capay Organics established their partnership in 2021.

“Lemons have been extending domestically and trending that way for the last year or two. It’s made for a competitive market where traditionally it would be much tighter on organic lemons in the summer.” - Ashley Berlinger

Capay reinvested in its San Joaquin Valley citrus fields in 2019, converting 95 acres of conventional blood orange and Cara Cara fields to organic. Those first organic fruits will be available for the 2024-2025 season.

“We anticipate having a better year and more navel oranges next season,” Berlinger said. “We’re excited to have a full lineup of citrus.”

The idea of offering a wide variety of organic items in a “one-stop shop” prompted Creekside to transition its wet vegetable program from its eight-year home in Brawley, California, in the Imperial Valley to the Salinas and Hollister area in the greater Monterey County region.

“Our focus for this season is transitioning the wet vegetable program,” said Berlinger. Organic baby bok choy and cilantro kicked off the program in early April. Collard greens, chard, cabbages, and more will follow in this new region. “We’re going to be up and running, ready to go and ship the wet vegetable items as we always have.”

Creekside Organic seeks to “maximize freight” with this move, Berlinger said. “We saw the demand and investment of people wanting to load in the Salinas area. We’ll have a full lineup of organic wet vegetables in Salinas and Hollister this season.”

Heirloom tomatoes will follow in the summer, with a 20,000-box program coming from Creekside. The company supplies several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, including the rosy Brandywine, large beefsteak Jazz, and sweet Chef’s Choice. “It’s a pretty robust crop for a fully organic shipper,” Berlinger said, noting tomatoes are the company’s largest commodity.

Berlinger cited inflation as a struggle for the organic market and said that consumers need to be encouraged to eat fresh produce.

“Upping the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables, and fruits and vegetables in general, is the biggest challenge in marketing to the consumer,” Berlinger said.

“Our focus for this season is transitioning the wet vegetable program. We’re going to be up and running, ready to go and ship the wet vegetable items as we always have.” - Ashley Berlinger

Home-delivered meal kits, farmers markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes have exposed home cooks to new varieties of produce. This provides fresh opportunities for the produce community, Berlinger said.

“Where I see a lot of interest in specialty [produce] is with home chefs excited about different varieties and upping the consumption themselves,” she said. “We’re constantly bringing on new items and investing in more land. We’re listening to our customers about the types of varieties they want.”