In Their Words: Organically Grown Company's Brenna Davis

OPN recently caught up with Organically Grown Company’s Brenna Davis for a chat about her priorities as OGC’s CEO, some of the company’s new initiatives and offerings, her thoughts on the current state of the organic produce industry, and more.

Brenna Davis, CEO, Organically Grown Company

Can you give an overview of your background, especially as it relates to organics and sustainability?

Sustainability and the organic movement are in my blood. My dad was born on a farm, and my mom has worked for years in small-scale organic farming. There was a strong sense of caring for the planet, the soil, and eating healthy, delicious food in my family.  

My love of food came to the forefront in my work at Virginia Mason Health Care System in Seattle. I focused on many different projects, but my two favorites focused on food. One was creating a farmers market in collaboration with Pike Place Market to help improve food access in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood and another was introducing organic and sustainable options to Virginia Mason’s kitchens, where they served more than a million meals a year. 

I went on to join the executive team at PCC Community Markets as a VP of Environmental, Social Responsibility, and Communications.

What led you to take the position of CEO at Organically Grown Company (OGC)?

OGC is such an incredible place with an authentic, strong commitment to organic agriculture. We helped create organic agriculture as it is today. OGC truly cares about its coworkers and has a culture of building a better world. It is also the first Perpetual Trust-owned company in the US, a new model for ownership that shares prosperity broadly and values responsible stewardship of nature. Through trust ownership, OGC can remain purpose-driven and independent into the future.

When the CEO position came along, it so obviously aligned with my personal values and professional passions that I had to say yes! It’s an honor and privilege to work alongside my coworkers at OGC and our growers and customers in support of our mission to promote and inspire the growth of the organic agriculture movement.

"Sustainability and the organic movement are in my blood." - Brenna Davis

Since joining OGC in February 2022, what have been your priorities as company leader?

My first priority as a new leader was to listen, learn, and work with OGC’s leadership to guide the company and coworkers through the transitions and adjustments in year three of the pandemic. It became clear that after two years of limited in-person interaction, we needed to reconnect and define where we are headed together. We refreshed our vision and mission and developed a robust strategic plan focused on building the resiliency of the organic supply chain.

Are there any new OGC initiatives or product offerings that you can share with our readers?

Our team is entrepreneurial and constantly looking for exciting new offerings. We recently hired a Product Innovation Manager, Joey Staub, to focus on expanding our Ladybug Brand offerings with exciting new varieties and product lines in collaboration with our growers. Joey, a former organic farm manager, is just getting started, and his work involves partnering with growers and breeders and trialing products. We're excited and committed to this experimentation and looking for opportunities that benefit our customers and growers.

We have also doubled down on organic advocacy at the state and national levels with the Organic Trade Association, the Coalition for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture, and the Oregon Organic Coalition. We recently gave more than $250,000 to mission-aligned organizations, including more than $100,000 to organic advocacy and research. We are always working to improve the organic trade and make life better for our coworkers and growers.

Organically Grown Company's Ladybug Brand Purple Sprouting Broccoli

What are your thoughts on the current state of the organic produce industry—and its future?

We are in an exciting period of change. We are seeing a watershed of well-earned boomer retirements. Their accomplishments are stunning—they grew the organic produce industry from $1.9 billion to now more than $9 billion, with a share of about 12 percent of all produce sales. It’s incredible.

The next generation is stepping up to lead, with guidance from those industry founders who are now mentors. It’s exciting to think about the innovation this generation will bring. We are starting to see it across the board—in sustainable packaging, innovative offerings like Purple Sprouting Broccoli, and even the new focus on continuous improvement in organic standards. We stand on our industry founders’ shoulders as we work to grow our impact by capturing even more market share. For OGC, that’s David Lively, Tom Lively, and David Amorose.

"We recently hired a Product Innovation Manager, Joey Staub, to focus on expanding our Ladybug Brand offerings with exciting new varieties and product lines in collaboration with our growers." - Brenna Davis

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the organic produce industry?

The organic produce industry as we know it is under threat. We have long faced challenges associated with labor, land access, an aging farmer demographic, and the cost of transition. We are now also facing the potential greenwashing of conventional “regenerative” agriculture, more frequent severe weather related to global warming, supply chain issues, and inflation.

To compete in the future, the organic produce industry needs to tell a better story about the many benefits of organic to farmers, consumers, and the environment. And we need to help our retail partners tell that story as well. We must convince people that organics are worth the higher price point—especially as we move into a recession. To assist our industry in beginning that work, the Organic Trade Association recently created a Sustainability Wheel to help folks understand and communicate the many benefits of organic. One of those many benefits is climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration in healthy soil and fewer emissions associated with fossil fuel-based chemicals.

OTA sustainability wheel

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I love the organic produce trade. Where else do you get to help growers turn a better profit, protect the ecosystem, and improve human health, all while eating delicious food? I am grateful every day I walk through OGC’s doors.