Bab? Farms offering organic specialty lettuces on trial basis
Bab? Farms offering organic specialty lettuces on trial basis
All 16 varieties of baby lettuce that comprise the gourmet salad mixes from Bab? Farms are now available with organic certification.
In a collaboration with organic lettuce grower Produce International Marketing in Salinas, CA, Bab? is meeting its club store customer orders with the entire current crop available to it at this time.
The organic salad blends will be sold and packaged under the established "Bab? Farms Spring Mix" brand with a green label in a one-pound clamshell package.
Jeff Lundberg, who heads farming operations for Bab? Farms, said that more acreage was being set aside by PIM and possibly other growers to meet future orders generated from marketing efforts to promote its new capability.
"We intend to provide all our customers with the amount of organic specialty lettuce they want," said Mr. Lundberg. "We're just going at a limited pace right now while we set up procedures to assure the same quality of our non- certified blends."
Mr. Lundberg acknowledged that there is an increased demand for organics but he is unsure if it is a temporary or long- term market preference. "We'll be prepared for whatever the market demands," he said. "We'll see what the summer brings before committing to a future inventory."
The specialty lettuce varieties are radicchio, lollo rossa, baby red and green oak, baby red and green romaine, baby spinach, baby red perella, baby red and green leaf, tat soi, baby tango, mach?, chervil, frisee and mizuna. It's a collection that not only provides the best color of reds and greens for a salad mix, but also ensures the tangy taste of a gourmet blend.
In a collaboration with organic lettuce grower Produce International Marketing in Salinas, CA, Bab? is meeting its club store customer orders with the entire current crop available to it at this time.
The organic salad blends will be sold and packaged under the established "Bab? Farms Spring Mix" brand with a green label in a one-pound clamshell package.
Jeff Lundberg, who heads farming operations for Bab? Farms, said that more acreage was being set aside by PIM and possibly other growers to meet future orders generated from marketing efforts to promote its new capability.
"We intend to provide all our customers with the amount of organic specialty lettuce they want," said Mr. Lundberg. "We're just going at a limited pace right now while we set up procedures to assure the same quality of our non- certified blends."
Mr. Lundberg acknowledged that there is an increased demand for organics but he is unsure if it is a temporary or long- term market preference. "We'll be prepared for whatever the market demands," he said. "We'll see what the summer brings before committing to a future inventory."
The specialty lettuce varieties are radicchio, lollo rossa, baby red and green oak, baby red and green romaine, baby spinach, baby red perella, baby red and green leaf, tat soi, baby tango, mach?, chervil, frisee and mizuna. It's a collection that not only provides the best color of reds and greens for a salad mix, but also ensures the tangy taste of a gourmet blend.
