Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/123862
the alliance lost around $8,000 in 2010 on $833,000 in revenue. In 2011, losses increased to about $58,000 on $790,000 in revenue, its tax documents showed. Picarello, an executive vice president at Edelman, one of the world's largest public relations companies, said that about a year ago, the alliance began searching for a partner so that it could continue to operate and maintain the value of the standards it developed and the Food Alliance seal, but no agreement has been reached yet. "There's a lot of interest in how the standards could be applied," he said. "A lot of organizations and individuals have stepped up and said they would like to use the standards for a number of different projects." Other certifications Jeff Heater, a pear grower in Hood River, Oregon, served on the Food Alliance's board of directors in the 1990s, representing the Hood River Growers and Shippers Association (now the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers). Heater was not certified under the program. The Food Alliance's aim was to help certified growers stand out from other producers in the market place, but that's become harder in recent years because of the many other certification programs that now exist, some of which are required by retailers, he said. "It's overwhelming for the grower. On the buyer's side, they usually request a specific one." Gary Wells, with Wells & Sons Packing & Storage in Hood River, Oregon, said his company was certified with Food Alliance until two years ago when he turned over his sales and marketing to a California company. The marketer, Rivermaid Trading Company, in Lodi, requires its suppliers to be certified with other food-safety programs, so Wells decided not to go through the Food Alliance certification in addition. "Sales entities are much larger—they are not what they were in the 1990s—and they have their preferences and their programs," Wells remarked. "So, what pretty much dictates the program that the growers will participate in is whatever their marketing agency is using for that purpose." Wells said the Food Alliance served the company well while it was selling its own fruit, which are mainly pears with some cherries. It had the greatest impact on the West Coast markets. The Food Alliance had promotional programs and good relationships with retailers that helped Wells gain new customers. "It wasn't so much a premium," he said. "It was a foot in the door in the places that were somewhat restrictive in terms of their expectation of the product." He felt the social aspect of the Food Alliance program used to be important to retailers, but the emphasis nowadays seems to have switched to food safety. Bob Bailey, chair of Orchard View Farms in The Dalles, Oregon, said his company dropped its Food Alliance certification last year because it wasn't seeing a www.goodfruit.com "It's overwhelming for the grower. On the buyer's side, they usually request a specific one." —Jeff Heater marketing benefit. It had been certified since the program began. Food Alliance used to help with marketing to the smaller chains in Oregon and Washington, but has been less successful on a wider scale, he said. "I am sad to see it go, but it was probably inevitable." C O L U M B I A B A S I N Orchard View Farms, which has 2,000 acres of cherries grown under sustainable practices, is certified through several programs. Although the primary emphasis is food safety, some programs—such as GlobalGAP and Tesco's Nurture—also have a social component that looks at working conditions and worker housing, for example. • N U R S E R Y OuR V ARIETIES ARE Proven& Profitable Successful orchards start with productive future tree varieties. Columbia Basin Nursery offers a number of polular and proven tree varieties. If you will be planting soon, start your successful future now with a call to Columbia Basin Nursery. Call today for a complete listing and availability. PEARS APPLES CHERRIES Bartlett Columbia Red D'Anjou Comice Concorde® D'Anjou Forelle Golden Russet® Bosc Hailey Red™ Bartlett Noble Russet® Bosc Red Clapp Banning Red Fuji Blondee® Brookfield® Gala Buckeye® Gala Honeycrisp Jonastar® Jonagold Midnight® Red Spur Morren's®Jonagored Supra™ Pacific® Gala Ultima™ Gala Bing BlackPearl® Chelan™ Early Robin® Lapins Rainier Regina™ Santina™ Skeena™ Sweetheart Tieton® Van Sour Cherry Montmorency We offer over 100 Varieties of Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears and Prunes & Plums. 800/333-8589 www.cbnllc.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER May 1, 2013 21