Trade.Information

Company Name: Organic Valley Family of Farms

Company Type: Organic Farming

Company Profile

We began in 1988 as a small, organic farming cooperative, the Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool (CROPP).

CROPP began with just seven farmers who shared a love of the land and a belief that a new, sustainable approach to agriculture was needed if family farms and rural communities were to survive. With more and more family farms threatened with extinction, these farmers set out to create a solution. That solution has grown into the largest farmers' cooperative in North America.

We started with organic vegetables, but soon moved into organic dairy products. Our customers were concerned with food quality and environmental issues and wanted to purchase more natural, nutritious food grown without pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers. With their encouragement, we developed our own brand name and expanded our product line. Marketed under the Organic Valley™ label, the co-op soon became the largest source of organic milk in the nation. 

We have become an established leader and pioneer in an industry growing at over 20 percent annually. We deliver high quality, strictly organic products throughout America and overseas, to consumers, schools and other institutions, and to a variety of manufacturers looking for organic ingredients.

At our helm is one of those original seven farmers, George L. Siemon, our Chief Executive Officer, who prefers to be known as our "C-E-I-E-I-O." A lifelong farmer, George and his family have operated an organic farm since 1977, and he is a leader in the campaign to establish effective national standards for organic certification. 

Organic Valley will continue to bring new products to the organic marketplace and to build a future for sustainable family farming.

About Company

You probably know Organic Valley Family of Farms as a trusted source of delicious and healthful organic foods, but did you know that the key to our success is our cooperative business model? The 1149 farm families who produce our premium quality food products share a voice in the future of our business -- because they own it! 
The Un-Corporation

In an era where corporations dominate all facets of business including government, global energy, agriculture and global food supply, Organic Valley serves small farmers and rural community health by combining two alternative business models - the family farm and the cooperative. Our cooperative was founded to nurture local communities by keeping farmers on the land, farming. We understood from the beginning that we would need to pool our product in a cooperative fashion to accomplish that goal. 
Farmers with a Mission

Just as we believe in the interdependency of all living things in nature, we believe that our cooperative structure delivers what's good for everyone, including the consumer-partners who buy our products. To those citizens, we promise the quality of food production and environmental stewardship that they demand. The support and resources of our extended family give us a voice in the agricultural world, where large corporations have taken over 600,000 family farms since 1960. Together, the cooperative voice of our over 700 farmers represents approximately 10% of the organic farming community in America.

The central mission of our cooperative is to support rural communities by protecting the health of the family farm - working toward both economic and environmental sustainability. Our stable, self-determined farmer pay prices and our love of the land are the best assurance that our co-op members will be able to continue the tradition of organic farming into the next generation. 
Why does a cooperative of small family farms make a difference to you? 

By keeping family farmers on the land, you are protecting your right to choose foods produced in the way you want - a way that ensures quality, health, humane animal treatment, and the stewardship of our environment.
How it Works

Farmer members establish equity when they join the cooperative. From the membership, a national Board of Directors is elected. Members' opinions are carried to the Board through regional executive committees. They also have the opportunity to serve on regional committees and participate in cooperative governance and marketing. In addition to a member-determined pay-price and equity ownership in a leading national food brand, members receive numerous benefits including support in production, certification, farm planning, feed sourcing, veterinary consultation and more. 
Democracy in Action

We credit our success to the partnership society we've created between farmers, employees and citizens. Each plays a vital role in the balance of our health and stability. As more farmers join our cooperative, we continually work to balance supply with consumer demand and the labor needed to support our marketing operations. To enhance our sustainability, we have adopted a profit sharing model that recognizes the contributions of all:
45% profits to farmers
45% profits to employees
10% profits to community

Building our base of loyal customers allows us to bring more farm families into the cooperative, along with the land, water, and animals that they protect. 

Together with you, we are crafting a new vision for family farming and healthy food in America!