San Diego, CA - Organics Unlimited of San Diego is seeing increasing consumer interest in bananas they are selling with the new GROW label. "People who are buying organic produce are normally socially and politically concerned," says produce buyer Michael Rocca of Watsonville Coast Produce. This is one of the reasons he feels that The GROW Foundation (Giving Resources and Opportunities to Workers) has been experiencing major success in its first year.

GROW is an international outreach initiative with a mission of ensuring that plantation workers who grow organic bananas receive fair wages and better living standards. As a program started by Organics Unlimited to support the workers in the areas where their produce is grown, they have taken the lead in supporting the first year of operation of the foundation.

Initially, Organics Unlimited of San Diego introduced its GROW Point-of-Purchase program in retail outlets along the west coast to generate consumer awareness and promote the international outreach initiative. In addition to produce labeling, the consumer POP awareness program includes free-standing displays and brochures that provide information on The GROW foundation as well as a recipe for banana bread.

According to Mayra Velazquez de Leon, president of Organics Unlimited, "We decided to provide point-of-sale materials to retailers so that their customers could understand the benefits of bananas with the GROW label." Retailers have found the eye catching signs and recipe cards attract customers, and they make it easy for shoppers to understand what the program is trying to accomplish.

While GROW was started through funding directly from Organics Unlimited and its owners, the program is sustained through a small per box surcharge on product that is marked with the GROW label. These monies are then given directly to charitable organizations through a partnership with The International Community Foundation (www.icfdn.org), which seeks to increase charitable giving and volunteerism across US borders to benefit overseas nonprofit organizations and communities, primarily in Mexico. Funds go to programs where Organics Unlimited works with the growers and buys their tropical fruits.

"I'm a supporter of any social or political program that benefits mankind," says Rocca. "The premium for GROW bananas is small enough that it is not a deterrent to retailers joining in the program. Customers request socially responsible programs, and the GROW signage has helped them to understand the value of the initiative."

GROW is a program of Organics Unlimited, a San Diego-based distributor of organic tropical fruits from Mexico and South America. For more information on Organics Unlimited and GROW, visit their website at www.organicsunlimited.com.


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