Farm-To-Fork With Inland Orange Conservancy
This is part of a series of of briefs that I wrote documenting Bon Appétit Management Company's Farm-To-Fork program.Inland Orange Conservancy - Bon Appétit Farm Brief
In the spring of 2004, orange prices hit an historic high. However, Bob Knight of the Sunnyheights Ranch of Redlands, Ca., realized that the high prices would do little to help Inland Empire orange growers who were going out of business in record numbers. Long considered the “Napa Valley” of the orange industry, the Inland Empire of California, comprised of Riverside, Imperial, and San Bernardino counties, boasts a mix of orange varieties, excellent soils, and optimal climactic conditions that make it perhaps the finest region in the world for growing ultra-premium oranges. However, by 2004, the number of acres under cultivation in the Inland Empire had fallen to 3500 for the first time since 1879. “Globalization had ruined the local industry,” Knight explain, “I was standing in a supermarket in the heart of the historic breadbasket of the fresh-pack orange industry, and I couldn’t find one local orange.”
Knight realized that something had to be done to slow the tide of attrition and to preserve not only the orange orchards of the Inland Empire, but also the flavor of its oranges. As a solution to these problems, Knight formed the Inland Orange Conservancy (IOC), a non-profit foundation whose objectives were threefold; to preserve the citrus groves of the Inland Empire, to educate people of the Inland Empire about its citrus heritage, and to glean oranges that would otherwise remain unharvested in order to feed the poor. Farmers who joined the IOC would receive five times more for their crop than they would by selling to other local packers, while consumers who joined the IOC would receive a weekly share of the orange crop for the duration of the season.
The first few months of business development were frenetic. Knight was overwhelmed by both grower interest and consumer support. The one major hurdle that remained for the IOC was how to distribute the shares to its members. Essentially, Knight would need to find local businesses willing to provide the IOC with space where its customers could pick up their shares. This was a tall order. “I was in dire need of a successful example of how this distribution thing was going to work,” Knight explains, “everybody wanted to know what was in it for them. Unfortunately, as a non-profit foundation, we did not have much money to pay for distribution.”
Fortunately for Knight and the IOC, he scheduled a meeting with Brett Martin, General Manager of Bon Appétit at the University of Redlands. Knight’s dealings with other potential distribution sites had prepared him for the worst. “I was convinced that I had a hard sell to make,” Knight states, “but Brett was immediately supportive of the idea and asked what he could do to help us.” Martin’s commitment to the IOC would be fundamental to its development. First and foremost, he would buy IOC oranges for use in Bon Appétit’s kitchen. Next, he would promote the IOC wherever possible and allow it to use Bon Appétit’s facility as a distribution point. Finally, Bon Appétit personnel would be available to juice IOC members’ shares. He would also provide both the labor and the juice containers for free. “We were committed to doing whatever it took to make it happen for the IOC, “ Martin explains “this is what Bon Appétit is all about.”
The results of the collaboration between IOC and Bon Appétit have been impressive. Bon Appétit now facilitates over 10% of the IOC’s distribution. In addition to this, the Bon Appétit model has allowed Knight to attain essential distribution agreements with scores of other local businesses. In short, a great deal of the IOC’s success has been attributable to its association with Bon Appétit.
The IOC’s early success enabled it to start the “Thanks A Ton” program, where oranges that would otherwise be left to fall on the ground are harvested and provided to local food banks. The future looks incredibly bright for both the IOC and “Thanks A Ton”. In 2005, the IOC’s 1200 member families consumed 167 tons of oranges harvested by its 24 member-producers. It also donated another 49 tons of oranges through “Thanks a Ton.” “Next year,” Knight states, “our members will consume 350 tons of oranges and we will donate another 100 tons. We are making a major difference in the Inland Empire not only for orange growers and consumers, but also for the needy. We would never would have made it to this point without Bon Appétit’s assistance.”
Brett Martin is as pleased as Bob Knight by the success of the IOC. “Many businesses only work from the perspective of what is in their financial best interest,” Martin Explains. “At Bon Appétit, we don’t have to think that way. In terms of the IOC, the cost of juicing the oranges and providing container is nothing compared to the positive effect that we are having on both local growers and the local community at large.”
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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:13 PM
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