products and organic agriculture — and we're thrilled with the strong
and steady growth of organics in the natural products, and now
mainstream, marketplace.We carried our first organic products in
1978, and became a certified organic processor as soon as that program
was available. Today we offer a vast array of organic products —
herbs, spices, teas, foods and personal care products. We have over
three decades of experience in organics — and a dedicated, expert staff
that continues to expand our selection and provide the best quality
organic products available.
What Organic Means
For many people, the word organic means without chemicals—andthis is a crucial requirement. Organic products must be grown on
land that has not had synthetic fertilizers, growth regulators, insecticides,
or herbicides applied to it for a minimum of three years. This is one of
many conditions that must be met by organic growers and
manufacturers in order to meet the federal government standards
for organic certification.But there's more to it than that. The values
of organic agriculture extend well beyond the rules governing certification.
Organic farmers are committed to the health and well being of workers,
the environment, and consumers. They work continually to restore,
maintain and enhance the environment, respecting the delicate balance
of nature and the integrity of the products being cultivated. They are
advocates of sustainable agriculture — growing practices that enrich
the land for the crops of the future rather than deplete it.As the National
Organic Standards Board explains it, the goal of organic agriculture is
"to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities
of soil life, plants, animals and people."
Our Commitment to Organics
We believe organic agriculture is a crucial element in building a safeand sustainable international food supply and that the basic values of
organic agriculture — concern for people and the environment — are
crucial to the well being of us all.Our Simply Organic brand supports
organics and organic growers around the world through the Simply
Organic Giving Fund. We have given more than 1.5 million dollars to
organic projects since 2001. Simply Organic sales support training and
community projects for farmers where our spices are grown, as well as
a variety of other organizations that promote organic and sustainable
agriculture.Our organic sales increase as a percentage of our total sales
every year — and all new products added to any of our lines must be
certified organic. We work to build a market for organic crops to ensure
farmers have an outlet for those crops once they switch to organic
growing methods. We also maintain a fund to support farmers in
transition from conventional crops to organics by paying organic
premiums on their transition crops.We have a deep and long-standing
commitment to organics at Frontier Co-op, and we're proud to have
been — and continue to be — a leader in our support of organic agriculture.
