Organic Valley

Organic Valley

Type	Agricultural cooperative
Industry	Organic food
Founded	1988 (1988)
Headquarters	La Farge, Wisconsin, United States
Area served	United States, 25 countries
Key people	George Siemon, founding farmer, "C-E-I-E-I-O"[1]
Products	Butter, cheese, eggs, milk, produce, soy, yogurt
Revenue	$1.14 billion (2017)[2]
Operating income	$9.57 million (2017)[3]
Total assets	$400.08 million (2017)[4]
Members	2,044 farmer-owners[5]
Number of employees	932
Website	organicvalley.coop

Organic Valley (OV) is an independent cooperative of organic farmers and food brand based in La Farge, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is the nation’s largest farmer-owned organic cooperative and one of the world's largest organic consumer brands.^[6]

Organic Valley markets products such as milk, cheese, eggs, soy, protein shakes, butter, yogurt, organic snack items, and more.^[7] Under the Organic Prairie brand, the cooperative markets organic beef, pork, chicken, and turkey products.^[8] With over 2,000 farmer-owners across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom,^[9] Organic Valley markets its products in all 50 states and exports to 25 countries. In 2017, annual sales reached $1.145 billion, a growth of 6% and record for the cooperative.^[10]

Cooperative history

The "modern barn", Organic Valley's global headquarters in Wisconsin with solar trackers

Organic Valley was founded in 1988 under the name CROPP (Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool) Cooperative.^[11] What began as a group of Wisconsin family farms selling their produce soon expanded into the production and local distribution of vegetables, and dairy products. The brand name "Organic Valley" was soon adopted, and the abbreviation "CROPP" was adjusted to Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools. The original CROPP farms were located throughout southwest Wisconsin, primarily in the Kickapoo River Basin area near the Cooperative's headquarters.

Today Organic Valley comprises 1,800 farmer-owners located in 32 states and three Canadian provinces that specialize in sustainable, organic agriculture practices. Organic Valley has become the world's largest independent Cooperative of organic family farmers and one of the nation's largest producers and distributors of organic produce, dairy, soy, and eggs.^[12] It also markets its line of beef, pork, turkey, and chicken products under the Organic Prairie brand.^[13]

Products are marketed in all 50 states, Canada, China, Japan, and 22 other countries.^[14] The United States is divided into three selling markets: the Western, Central, and Eastern Divisions. Each division is managed by sales staff, producers, and distributors directly associated with the Cooperative. Organic Valley produces six regional milks that are produced, processed and distributed in New England, Northeast, Heartland, Rocky Mountain, California and the Pacific Northwest. Total sales in 2003 were $156 million and reached $972 million in 2014.^[9]

In 2009, Organic Valley launched a partnership with Stonyfield Farm and HP Hood agreeing to license the Stonyfield fluid milk brand, and manage sales and distribution. The deal also invited the farmers supplying that milk into the Cooperative starting January 1, 2010.^[15]

As of 2016, the Cooperative employed over 800 people; 400 at its La Farge headquarters and several hundred more at its Cashton, Wisconsin distribution center and offices.^[16] In March 2016, construction was complete on a second 200,000 square foot office building on the Cashton campus in order to accommodate continued growth of the Cooperative.^[17]

Ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Organic Valley announced its sponsorship of Team USA cyclist Kristin Armstrong, one of the most decorated women cyclists in the world.^[18] The Cooperative also created new packaging for its white milk half-gallons and Good to Go single-serves featuring the Milk Life Team USA logo.

In 2016, Organic Valley purchased Farmers Cooperative Creamery in McMinnville, Oregon. It will serve 72 co-op members in Oregon and Washington.^[19]

Management

George Siemon, one of the founding farmers of CROPP, is the CEO of Organic Valley.^[20] Once a member of the National Organic Standards Board,^[21] Siemon helps to set the standards not only for Organic Valley, but is best known for his leadership in organizing farmers and building market support for organic agriculture across the country.

As a cooperative, Organic Valley is primarily run and owned by the farmers that sustain it with a central mission of, "supporting rural communities by protecting the health of the family farm and working toward both economic and environmental sustainability."^[22] With a low profit margin, the company's income returns to the farmers, employees and farming communities in which the crops are grown.

Sustainability

In 2015, Organic Valley announced that 81% of the cooperative's combined on-site power consumption was generated by renewable energy.^[23] On-farm sustainability efforts and sustainable operations at the coop's offices and warehouses include solar, wind, biodiesel, and more.^[24] These efforts have placed the organization in the Top 30 On-site Generation list by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.^[25]

References

External links

• Official website
• Official website of Organic Prairie