DLJ Produce Continues to Increase Its Organic Footprint

Already entrenched in the organic retail sector with its “Eat Well” brand on scores of SKUs, DLJ Produce will launch an organic grape version of its well-known Razzle Dazzle table grape this summer.

Long Beach, California-based DLJ Produce began in 1993 as a regional produce brokerage operation, combining the talents of a group of produce veterans under a simple business philosophy: “Supply the best produce, combined with white glove service, dedicated work ethic, and be the best source the industry has to offer.”

Over its first two decades, the company continued to grow, adding many different products and sources of supply and becoming a US supplier of many global products. A decade ago, it launched its organic division, becoming a full-line, full-service distributor of many different fruits and vegetables.

“Today, we offer over 100 SKUs of organics,” said Mike Asdoorian, who is both part owner of the company and involved in sales and procurement.

Mike Asdoorian, Sales/Procurement, DLJ Produce

He said there were several reasons that the decision was made to add organic produce to their sales sheet. “First and foremost, we did it because we believe in the philosophy of being good stewards of the land,” he said, noting that he comes from a farming family, and treating the soil and the crops in a sustainable manner is a core philosophy.

“Today, we offer over 100 SKUs of organics.” - Mike Asdoorian

Asdoorian said there was also a business component to the decision as they had existing retail customers getting into the category who were looking to their distributors to help supply those needs. “We wanted to make it easier for our buyers to get involved in organics, and we also wanted to offer stability for the organic grower community.”

The decision has been an unmitigated success. While grapes, stone fruit, and citrus are the company's three main conventional high-volume commodities, it offers many more organic produce items. For example, its Eat Well brand offers both a two- and four-count tomato pack as well as many packaged vegetables, including cucumbers, zucchini, and bell peppers.

“We have a pretty even split between organics and conventional,” Asdoorian said. “We are heavier in volume on the conventional side because of our high-volume commodities, but we are much more broad-based on the organics side. We offer many packaged and value-added items, and that business is growing.”

“We wanted to make it easier for our buyers to get involved in organics, and we also wanted to offer stability for the organic grower community.” - Mike Asdoorian

He said many retailers continue to ask for packaged organic items, largely because they want to make sure they get an accurate ring at checkout. Asdoorian is confident that the organic produce sector will continue to grow on a long-term basis. He considers it foolish to think otherwise as the sustainability trend is not going away, nor is the consumer preference for more environmentally friendly products.

Asdoorian did acknowledge that there has been some decline in organic volume this year because of the economy and a consumer trend of trading down to conventional on occasion.

On a daily basis, Asdoorian said DLJ Produce does more business in the western half of the US, but it is truly a nationwide distributor of both its organic and conventional produce items, with retailers stretching from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast and every region in between. “About 90 percent of our business is retail, and the other 10 percent is with wholesalers,” he said. “We deal with retailers of all sizes from five-store independents to 300-store chains. We sell to a lot of independents. It’s fun working with independents with 15-20 stores that can react quickly to deals.”

He added that DLJ loves to work with retailers to help “tell the story” of the food they are offering to their shoppers and the growers who produce it. He said the company’s new Razzle Dazzle organic grape brand will be used on the highest-quality grapes and the best varieties as it is designed to signify to to consumers that they are buying a premium product.

“We deal with retailers of all sizes from five-store independents to 300-store chains. We sell to a lot of independents. It’s fun working with independents with 15-20 stores that can react quickly to deals.” - Mike Asdoorian

Asdoorian also gave a shout-out to his two partners in DLJ Produce, Bill Coombs and Robby Johnson. He noted that it is a collaborative effort, with the partners and the employees working together for the betterment of the company. “We are not a me organization,” he quipped.