The Balance Needed in Spring

Balance feels like something we need these days. Between wild weather (in California at least) and banking instability, finding balance for farmers, and the ag industry in general has been a bit of a high-wire act as of late.

The business of farming is naturally fraught with uncertainty. Our produce is living plants that are at the whims of the environment. Farmers are creative and innovative and do all they can to cultivate and protect their crops as they grow them to harvest but sometimes nature has other plans.

Record Rain Has Affected Crops – Especially Strawberries

As I’ve said before, the record rain and snow this winter in California has been a welcome antidote to too many years of drought. But the endless parade of storms (or atmospheric rivers, as the press calls them) has caused flooding that has wiped out crops, delayed planting or harvesting, and displaced residents and farm workers.

Farmers we work with in California tell us that the strawberry supply will be affected this year. Strawberries are grown all along the central coast and 90% of the U.S. crop is grown here. Many small farms grow strawberries because it is a popular crop with a pretty quick turnaround, often taking out short-term loans to cover production and harvest costs that they expect to repay at harvest. Both the Pajaro and Salinas Rivers flooded nearby fields and communities in the last few weeks, ruining strawberry fields just before harvest.

How to Support Farms

One of the things we think about often at The FruitGuys is how to help support farmers in an environment where stability and balance are hard to come by. As we move into spring (the Spring Equinox, the northern hemisphere’s midpoint between the shortest day of winter and the longest day of summer is March 21), I’d like to share with you what we’ve done in 2022 with your support, to provide stability to both those in need and small independent farmers.

2022 Impact

In 2022 we were honored to be named a Best for the World B Corp in the Community category by B Lab, the governing body of B Corps. This was due to our impact business model that’s designed to give a minimum value of 20% annual profits to fight hunger and support sustainable farming practices. This achievement would not be possible without our clients, team members, farms, vendors, and community partners. Thank you!

Impact at a Glance

• 533,337 people fed through weekly donations
• 17 grants for sustainability projects awarded to small farms and agricultural nonprofits
• 247 tons of CO2 emissions diverted
• 57,377 people fed by generous clients via Donate-a-Crate
• 16 million servings purchased from small farms and food producers
• 2,654 hours of employee volunteer service

Read the Full 2022 Impact Report

Thank you again for helping make this positive impact possible!