The Nunes Co., based in Salinas CA, continues to see the organic part of its business grow significantly.

The Foxy Organic brand saw significant increases in 2015 as the product line was expanded and more retail customers devoted extra space to organics in their produce departments. The firm recently added organic fennel to its lineup and its proprietary “BroccoLeaf” offering has been a big hit, especially on both coasts.

Bunch Gold Beets from Foxy Organic.Matt Seeley, vice president of marketing for Nunes, said the initial launch of that original product received a lot of good consumer press in food and cooking publications. Those stories introduced the item to many consumers and jumpstarted demand.

Seeley has noted increased demand for the item as more and more retailers order it. He explained that the BroccoLeaf product is the tender leaves that a broccoli plant produces before the crown has formed. Harvesting crews strip the plant of these leaves before harvesting the crown. The leaves are being called a “superfood” by devotees as it is packed with nutrients and has a sweeter taste than kale.

The Nunes executive said the harvesting of the leaves do not impact the growth of the plant or the growth of the broccoli crown. “In essence it allows for complete utilization of the plant,” he said.

The “whole plant” movement has gained traction in farming ventures just as the whole animal concept has caught on in that agricultural pursuit. Seeley said Nunes is exploring other similar opportunities and a continued expansion of the firm’s organic product line, but the firm has no new products to announce as of this juncture.

Seemingly, all of the vegetable offerings from the West Coast have been in a demand exceeds supply situation for many months. F.o.b. prices for conventional vegetable commodities such as broccoli, iceberg lettuce and romaine have been in the $20-30 range for months, with cauliflower topping $40 for weeks at a time.   Organic production has been impacted by the same weather factors causing prices for those items to also skyrocket.

“Of course we are challenged by the weather and it is difficult to keep up with demand as organic production is already in a demand exceeds supply situation,” Seeley said.

He said under the best of circumstances, it has been difficult to keep up with demand so that situation has been doubly challenging this past year. Nonetheless, Seeley believes organic production and demand will continue to grow. He said both conventional and natural food-type stores are registering significant growth in the category.