Gardening in Alaska : Colorado based grocer operates own farm

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Colorado based grocer operates own farm

Posted by talkdirt

Posted: November 15, 2009 - 3:48 pm

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Mike Gilliland, chief executive officer of Sunflower Farmers Market, sits among the vegetables growing in the company's experimental garden in Longmont, Colo. Sunflower is one of the few, if only, grocery stores in the nation to operate its own farm. Photo by Kenneth D. Lyons, The Denver Post via APBy STEVE RAABE / The Denver Post via Associated Press
Grocer Sunflower Farmers Market is bringing a new perspective to "farm fresh" by growing produce on its own Longmont-area farm.

Boulder-based Sunflower is believed to be the nation's first grocery chain to own and operate a commercial-scale farm.

The 40-acre spread southwest of Longmont will supply, at most, about 5 percent of the produce Sunflower requires at its 27 stores.

But chief executive Mike Gilliland sees the farm as a way to increase customer awareness of organic production and as a forum for special events and marketing campaigns.

"Eventually, we'd like to conduct tours and hold workshops there on organic farming and sustainability issues," he said. "While we hope this project will eventually turn a profit, that wasn't the primary impetus for the idea."

The first crops were planted this year on a 2-acre section of the farm. Next year, it will expand to 12 acres plus a 4,000-square-foot greenhouse powered by wind and solar energy.

Crops harvested this year include arugula, bok choy, cabbage, collard greens, peppers, radishes, squash, turnips and various lettuces.

The produce is being shipped to Sunflower stores in Boulder and Denver.

"Local production is the big new driver in the food industry," said Dave Carter, a natural-foods consultant with Westminster-based Crystal Springs Consulting. "It's a concept that people trust and can put their arms around.

"There can be confusion about the definitions of organic, but when you say local, people get it."

Major grocers such as Albertsons, King Soopers and Safeway have promoted their use of Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables, although they don't own the farms.

Barbara Haumann of the Greenfield, Mass.- based Organic Trade Association termed the Sunflower farm concept "exciting" and said consumers are likely to welcome the idea of the grocer growing its own.

However, Carter warned that a possible downside to the program is if shoppers who support organic and local food perceive Sunflower as a corporate producer elbowing out small farmers.

That's not a concern, said Gilliland, who was one of the founders of the Wild Oats grocery chain that Whole Foods acquired in 2007.

"We sell $100 million of produce each year," he said. "This farm is a pretty small operation. We're certainly not looking to shut out any producers. We just want to share the knowledge."