Demand for Organic Cucumbers Continues to Increase

As organics become more and more mainstream, staple items like organic cucumbers continue to grow in popularity.

In 2022, organic cucumbers were one of the strongest-performing organic produce categories with year-over-year sales growth of 11.3 percent, according to analysis by Category Partners. And organic cucumbers have continued to show sales increases in the first half of this year—3.4 percent in the first quarter and 5.4 percent in the second.

Sunfed cucumbers

“Demand on organics across the board has definitely increased, and cucumbers have been on the top of the list along with some other items,” said Juan Carlos Barrionuevo, organic cucumber manager for Sunfed, a fresh produce company based in Rio Rico, Arizona. “As we continue to grow our organic portfolio, we also have had an increase on acreage for organic cucumbers.”

Juan Carlos Barrionuevo, Organic Cucumber Manager, Sunfed

Sunfed works with a number of growers to source organic slicer cucumbers for its US customer base, which includes wholesalers, national retailers, and smaller local chains. Its largest organic cucumber grower-partner is Agricola Bay, located in Sonora, Mexico.

“Organic cucumbers are a popular commodity year-round,” said Barrionuevo. “We do see changes in demand depending on seasonality and growing regions. Not all growing regions produce the same volume/supply as others. Sinaloa/Sonora have good production from October–May, so there is more promotable volume, which means prices are competitive.”

“Demand on organics across the board has definitely increased, and cucumbers have been on the top of the list along with some other items. As we continue to grow our organic portfolio, we also have had an increase on acreage for organic cucumbers.” - Juan Carlos Barrionuevo

Barrionuevo said prices on cucumbers have followed a similar trajectory for the past three years. There’s promotable volume at the start of the Nogales season in the fall, followed by a decrease in supply during the winter months, which leads to firmer prices. “Then as we go back to spring and start different growing regions and overlapping production, we get to see promotable volume again,” he said.

Portland, Oregon-based Bridges Organic Produce also offers organic slicers from Mexico, with availability September–June. Its organic cucumber grower partners are Agricola Sonorg and Productores HRG (formerly known as Floriza), which are sold under the Rico Farms label and the Bridges Aztlan label, respectively.

Oscar Trujillo, Mexican Sales, Bridges Organic Produce

Trujillo said that organic cucumber demand “has kept pace with the overall increase in organic fresh vegetable sales in recent years, with new customers each season. … Demand has been more steady as organic volume items become staple expectations for retailers,” he said. “As the market matures, there is always a push to reduce pricing. Finding the balance between supply and demand is always a challenge, especially when production fluctuates.”

Bridges President Ben Johnson said he’s seen some ups and downs in the organic cucumber market as it’s expanded. “Demand has grown in recent years, and production has also increased to meet that demand, but we have seen some volatility in the market as we try to find that right balance. We have had some seasons of very high prices and also some with very low prices. Hopefully, going forward we can achieve a better predictability and balance so that growers can be profitable and consumers can find that choosing organic cucumbers is an affordable option,” he said.

Ben Johnson, President, Bridges Organic Produce

Over on the East Coast, North Carolina-based Happy Dirt offers several varieties of organic cucumbers, including slicers, long English/European cucumbers, Mexican gherkins, and pickling cucumbers.

“As the market matures, there is always a push to reduce pricing. Finding the balance between supply and demand is always a challenge, especially when production fluctuates.” - Oscar Trujillo

Happy Dirt sources its cucumbers from some of its North Carolina farmer-owners as well as Lady Moon Farms, Lancaster Farm Fresh, and Wholesum Organic Farms.

“We work with a North Carolina grower who starts his slicing cucumbers and long English cucumbers in heated high tunnels in March, and we are able to ship them through October,” said Alex Borst, purchasing manager for Happy Dirt. “We also work with growers in Florida for the winter season and move to Mexico when domestic production is limited, usually in the height of the winter.”

Alex Borst, Purchasing Manager, Happy Dirt

Happy Dirt’s organic cucumber customers include large retailers, independent stores, and restaurants, and Borst noted they all source organic slicers. “They are a year-round staple that every produce manager can’t run out of without upsetting customers," he said.

“I do think that overall [organic cucumber] demand has increased in recent years,” said Borst. “North Carolina has a decently long growing season for cucumbers, and our utilization of heated high tunnels allows us to connect with customers earlier in the season and lock in business before moving into field-grown production. The specialty cucumbers that we sell—Mexican gherkin and pickling cucumbers—are lower-volume items, but they do very well with our local customer base. We are increasing our production of the Mexican gherkins in 2024 due to how high demand has been this year.”

Happy Dirt organic Mexican gherkin cucumbers

When asked if he had any cucumber merchandising tips, Borst said, “I would say that more people should try marketing organic Mexican gherkin cucumbers as a snacking cucumber! They taste great, look beautiful in social media posts, and are very unusual looking compared to standard varieties of cucumbers. They actually look like mini watermelons!”