The organizers of the inaugural Organic Grower Summit (OGS) set to take place in California later this year say initial interest in the trade event has been "overwhelmingly positive", as booth registration gets underway. 

The recently established Organic Produce Network (OPN) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) are teaming up to host the OGS in Monterey on December 13 -14, bringing together producers with service and supply partners.

The event follows on from the successful Organic Produce Summit (OPS), which saw its first event last year. The already-sold-out second version is to be held this July.

The success of that inaugural event led to the establishment of the OPN earlier this year.

"Last July 2016 we held the first ever Organic Produce Summit and that was a brand new trade show that brought together the production side of organics," OPN co-founder and CEO Matt Seely told Fresh Fruit Portal. 

"Following that show it became very obvious to myself that there was a true need for a resource that provided relevant information as it relates to organics. Currently the fresh produce industry doesn’t have a go-to resource when you want to know about organic fresh produce."

He said the other two major industry trade associations - the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh - were not dedicated solely to organics.

The OPN also differs from the Organic Trade Association (OTA) as the latter is not focused entirely on fruits and vegetables and also has a strong advocacy element, he added.

"So there was a vacuum, if you will. Working with my partner Tonya Antle, who is widely respected in the organic field, we formed the Organic Produce Network to be that go-to resource and that place for people who want to know more about organics," Seely said.

"We put that together at the start of this year. So we now provide people with original content on a weekly basis as it relates to organic fresh produce, including industry news and trends."

While the OPS is more focused on the production and buying side of the industry, the OGS is aimed more at the growing community.

"It's for the farmers and growers to meet with their supply chain and service providers, and by that I mean those people that are in the seed industry, packaging, soil amendments, ag technology," he said.

"It's an opportunity for those two categories in the organic industry to get together, exchange ideas, information, get some good networking opportunities and get some good educational opportunities through our sessions.

"The response to the OGS has been overwhelmingly positive. On the first day that we began selling booths, we sold over 20. I fully anticipate the show will sell out just based on the response and the feedback we have received to date."

The representative explained the two events had come about due to the dramatic increase in organic produce sales in the U.S. over recent years.

"Throughout this decade, fresh organic produce has experienced double-digit growth every year," he said.

"We’re not going to go back to the typewriter. Organics are the future and they're only going to continue to grow."

He added the millennials were the biggest impetus behind the growth, as they were more prone to ask questions about where their food came from and the effect it had on both themselves and the environment.

"In the 70s and 80s people weren't asking those questions so much. So that has become a game-changing aspect of the business and why we believe organics will have a continued upward trend," he said.

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