The couple with the Truck
|
Nearly three decades ago, Patagonia Orchards co-founders, Philip Ostrom and Sherry Luna, started a small truck farm in the Verde Valley of Northern Arizona. As they worked to bring their products to Arizona stores and farmers markets, they soon realized transportation would be difficult, and in 1988 they purchased their first refrigerated truck. Working long, hard hours growing, packing and distributing their produce, Philip and Sherry traversed vast areas, from the mountains of Flagstaff to the desert cities of Phoenix and Tucson and lots of small towns in between. Word spread of “the couple with the truck” and before they knew it, other farmers were asking the couple to distribute their produce as well, and the first statewide distribution company for Arizona-grown organic produce was born.
Helping other Arizona farmers distribute produce to larger markets soon became Philip and Sherry’s overriding passion and they sold their farm equipment and bought newer, bigger refrigerated trucks. They relocated to Patagonia and became the first produce operation in Arizona to be exclusively certified as organic. Patagonia Orchards continued to expand its grower base with organic citrus and vegetable farmers from Phoenix, organic squash and potato farmers from the Navajo Nation, date farmers from Yuma, and tomato and apple growers from Willcox. When farmers from Mexico began to ask Patagonia Orchards to sell organic Mexican produce as well, the company began working internationally. Today Patagonia Orchards grows, packs, ships and distributes over 12 million pounds of produce from its hub in Rio Rico to Arizona stores, national chains and distributors throughout the United States and Canada. |
Mission Statement
Our Mission is to harvest, process, and market radiant, organic citrus and fresh juice. We provide excellence, sustainability and food safety while nurturing organic goodness for the mind, body and soul.
Our Mission is to harvest, process, and market radiant, organic citrus and fresh juice. We provide excellence, sustainability and food safety while nurturing organic goodness for the mind, body and soul.
Commitment to the Farmer
We strive to maintain fair prices for all crops, to offer logistical support, and to provide expert technical advice in the area or organic production and planning. Read more... |
Commitment to the Distributor & Retailer
We offer premium organic fruits and vegetables with prompt, professional service to provide product which meets or exceeds specifications in condition, quality, food safety, and labelling and packaging, and we facilitate the most efficient transportations of our products to the marketplace. Read more... |
Commitment to the Consumer
We provide healthy food, bursting with flavor, grown in nutrient rich soil, free from pesticides, herbicides and/or harmful additives that is certified by third-party USDA-accredited certification agencies. We strive to achieve this process with detailed attention toward food safety. Read more... |
Balance and Flow
For over thirty years Patagonia Orchards has helped educate farmers and growers in Arizona and Mexico about organic production regulations, food safety practices, and crop forecasting. For over thirty years, we have educated buyers by taking them on farm visits throughout Arizona and Mexico. For over thirty years, our company has educated consumers on how sustainable food systems work and the importance of maintaining a sustainable food network.
Part of our outreach has included donating 6 acres of farm land to a local Montessori school that is now under organic agricultural production, donating produce to local schools and organizations, working with local, state and national agencies on issues such as NAFTA and organic standards, and giving presentations on organic farming and marketing for career days at Arizona schools.
Although the size of the operation has changed, the family’s values, standards and approach have not. Be good to the earth. Be good to your neighbors. Be good to your farmers. It’s very simple. The underlying ethos for Patagonia Orchards’ vision is that an organic food system in balance with the earth and its people offers the most sustaining hope for future generations.
Part of our outreach has included donating 6 acres of farm land to a local Montessori school that is now under organic agricultural production, donating produce to local schools and organizations, working with local, state and national agencies on issues such as NAFTA and organic standards, and giving presentations on organic farming and marketing for career days at Arizona schools.
Although the size of the operation has changed, the family’s values, standards and approach have not. Be good to the earth. Be good to your neighbors. Be good to your farmers. It’s very simple. The underlying ethos for Patagonia Orchards’ vision is that an organic food system in balance with the earth and its people offers the most sustaining hope for future generations.
