Making National Local: Organic Valley

One of the big arguments with socially responsible food buying is that buying local food is the most green option. Even if something is organic, shipping food across the United States or importing it from another country still produces quite a carbon footprint. Also by buying local, we bolster local economies and make it possible for small farmers to maintain their livelihoods. So how do you have a company that enjoys the growth and success of a national corporation without taking away from local markets?

Organic Valley, a nationally distributing producer of dairy products, has found a solution. Organic Valley is a co-op of organic farmers. This means that they have a network of small, organic farms that produce dairy products that are distributed nation wide under the Organic Valley name. (Because I know I like pictures, here is an adorable picture of a calf from their website)




Their website also includes a site on the importance of going organic and site where you put in your zip code and it calculates where the products at your grocery store come from. When I entered my Zip Code, three farms in Tennessee popped up, all between 60-80 miles away from my house.

Organic Valley is also highly transparent about the structure of their co-op, and how their profits break down. I highly recommend reading their co-op description page, where it talks about why they are a co-op, what it means to be a co-op and how the profits are distributed. Although one might be skeptical because you would expect a company to present a highly positive image of itself on it's own web page. That being said, in reading their mission statement and commitment to maintaining small farms, it's clear that Organic Valley is a company that cares about it's producers and about more than just the bottom line.