In its sixth year of growing Asian vegetables, Mont Saint-Hilaire-based Organzo is looking to add an American grower to its team. “We were recently in Georgia looking to add an American grower, it will be smaller acreage to begin but the goal is to achieve year-round growing,” said Julie Nichols, president and founder of Organzo. “We are also looking for additional growers in the U.S.”

“We have a dynamic team of about eight growers currently under the Organzo brand,” she continued. “We look for growers that are passionate and love what they do. Asian vegetables are tough to grow if you aren’t thorough about every detail. The growers we are looking for don’t necessarily have to be currently growing Asian vegetables — we have a terrific Organzo undertook a branding exercise this spring and worked with an Asian marketing firm to develop materials that speak to their unique target audience. agro team and support from our entire network that will help with the setup.”

Ms. Nichols studied agronomy at Laval University then spent a decade working in the industry before deciding to launch Organzo. “I grew up on a dairy farm and always thought I’d work in the animal industry,” she said. “I started a summer job in produce and I liked it so much I’ve never left. I saw there was an opportunity in the marketplace to specialize in Asian produce.

Plans for the future include expansion and steady growth. The end of August will mark the opening of a boutique for local consumers in south shore Montreal. “We want to teach local Quebec mainstream consumers how to prepare and enjoy our products,” Ms. Nichols said. “We want to offer our products worldwide and are looking closely at shipping to Japan and south Asian countries.”

Organzo undertook a branding exercise this spring and worked with an Asian marketing firm to develop materials that speak to their unique target audience. “We’re working very hard to understand who our customers are and what they are looking for. As we continue to move forward and grow, the better we understand our unique customer,” said Ms. Nichols. “Ninety percent of our volume is purchased by Asian people, 70 percent of which is sold in the U.S. and the other 30 percent in Canada in Montreal and Toronto. Our main customers are Chinese and Korean and we are working to expand our target demographic to include south Asian customers.”

“Every detail of the new look and feel of our branding materials was designed to appeal to our customers,” she continued. “From the colors on packaging, to the new logo that represents finding our roots and being stable, we’ve placed careful thought into everything. The spiral in our new logo represents who we are — together, a team.”

“We are a network of small growers banded together to find our niche in the market. We rely on each other and everyone pulls their weight and helps one another along. We’re unique, a little bit like a virtual company where each farm has a CEO and operates individually but pulls together and shares in equal responsibility for our success. Without everyone I work with I would have nothing, I understand that very well.”