State Garden’s Olivia’s Organics brand on full display at OPS

State Garden Inc. produces everything from organic salad mixes to baby kale to cooking greens under the Olivia’s Organics brand.

“We are the largest distributor of organic packaged salads on the Eastern Seaboard,” said Mark Pins, director of marketing for the Chelsea, MA-based company. “We wash and pack over a million pounds of baby lettuce and spinach every week, and with that comes an oversupply.”

For example, if one of State Garden’s customers needs 100,000 pounds of baby spinach, they’ll bring in 110,000 pounds just in case their customer increases their order or if some of the product is off quality.

In the past, that oversupply would go to a feedlot or anerobic digester; but now, the company has an industrial juice press and juices remaining oversupply. They now have a line of organic juices, which has helped State Garden become a zero-waste facility.

“I think that’s a compelling reason to buy our juice,” Pins said.

Those will be on display, along with its regular organic products, at the upcoming Organic Produce Summit at booth No. 719.

“At the booth, we’re going to have all of our organic lettuces, our baby spinach, our baby kale, our spring mix and several blended items that we sell,” Pins said. “We also have a line of organic salad kits, which is somewhat of a differentiator in the market. We are one of the few suppliers that can provide retailers with an organic kit where all ingredients are certified organic.”

State Garden looks forward to this show every year, as it’s a chance to meet up with many of its customers.

“It’s a great show, and once we’re there, we see some of our best customers, and it’s a very efficient way to help solidify our long-standing relationships as well as cultivate new ones,” Pins said. “One of the things that people enjoy about Oliva’s Organics is they have access to us. When one of our customers calls, they have a direct line to our owner or vice president of sales. We pride ourselves on the relationships we have and the accessibility we provide.”

In 2023, the company is seeing strong growth, which has continued a pattern of increasing sales year after year.

“We put a lot of effort and work into new offerings and making sure that product is available when needed,” Pins said. “OPS is very close to Salinas, which is a popular growing area. It’s one of several that we utilize  to make sure we are not out of supply when there may be adverse weather in a particular area.”

In fact, one of the company’s biggest selling points is that its fill rates are one of the highest in the business.

That’s been an attribute of the family-owned State Garden for more than 75 years, as it’s been bringing the freshest, highest quality produce to food markets and made itself a fixture on the Boston produce scene for generations.